Pleasanton's Other Downtown

Blocks from Main Street, away from the "Pleasanton" arch that acts as the downtown area's inanimate mascot, teems with customers who swear by the 40-year-old restaurant's special sauce.

It's amazing, they say. It's one thing about Pleasanton that never changes.

A few feet away at Cosmo's Barbershop in the Pleasant Plaza shopping center on First Street, Cosmo Panetta stands the same way he did 35 years ago at 14 years old, cutting hair. He used to have a store front on Main Street, but he likes it better on First.

"People expect to find me here," he said.

This is the "other" downtown Pleasanton — the one you don't see if you stick to Main Street where moms meander with strollers, where historic hotels beckon to out-of-towners who've heard of Pleasanton's quaintness, where eateries never want for customers.

In a way, it is the stepchild of Pleasanton's downtown, not visible during parades and farmers' markets and street parties.

At the same time, people who operate these businesses wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Parking along Main is tough; it takes too long, they say. The rent is more affordable and people do, in fact, know they're there. Maybe not out-of-towners, but people know.

"If people want me, they find me," said Brian Mohsini, who owns . "I wouldn't want to be on Main — it's too crowded and my type of customer is trying to get in and out."

Same with Specialty Sales Classics, Inc., an exotic car dealer on First. Customers come all the way from Iceland, Australia and Denmark to buy vintage Corvettes, Camaros, and Porsches. People are there for a specific reason and have no trouble finding the warehouse.

"We do a lot of business online, but during spring break, Father's Day, holidays like that, we are inundated with foot traffic," said Business Manager Dale Santus.

"But about half of the cars we sell are sold sight unseen, through our website."

Main Street, Schmain Street.

Downtown Pleasanton, despite the way it looks in brochures, is actually pretty big. It's the area bordered by Bernal Avenue to the south, Arroyo Drive to the north, the east side of Peters Avenue and the west side of First.

About 550 businesses operate within these boundaries and about 60 percent of what are considered downtown businesses are not on Main. 

"There are some amazing businesses that you don't see if you just drive up and down Main, if you just make it a north-to-south experience," said Laura Olson, executive director of the .

She said local officials hope to see people revitalizing more properties along Railroad Avenue near the , which does much to draw people away from Main and into the more far-flung regions of downtown.

"Businesses are present there, but we'd love to see more and make it more integrated," Olson said.

She said events like the yearly wine stroll, one of 33 events held each year downtown,  help to pull people to the side streets and beyond.

Business owners want the best of both worlds — they like the ease of getting in and out when you're not on Main but also want to stay busy.

"I'm busy, but I could still use some clients," said Jenny Ho, who operates in Pleasant Plaza on First. "I do a very good job," she said of her facials, body wraps and waxes.

She pays about $1,200 in monthly rent for her 600-square-foot store front — for that affordable price, she stays put.

"Because I'm not on Main where it's more expensive, I can charge less for my services," she said.

A waxing service that would normally cost $60 or $70 costs $40 at Jenny's Skincare, she said.

Olson said she couldn't say what a typical rent is on Main Street because they're all so different, but she did say it's more than the surrounding area.

Bob's Giant Burgers — A Pleasanton Staple

Ashley Garcia's mom, Sandy Ambus, owned the place before her, and before that, her grandpa, Robert Jacobs, did. The place oozes history with black and white family photographs hanging on the walls — three generations' worth.

When Jacobs opened the restaurant in the 1960s, he started with hot dogs and popcorn. His employees were like family, staying put for decades. They went to each others' baby showers, weddings and graduations.

When Garcia's mom ran the place, she also had a clothing store next door.

"Those are some of my earliest memories — being with my mom at the clothing store and then coming over here for lunch," she said.

"I remember watching her work, and thinking, 'I wonder if this will be my life — if I'll be a part of all this,'" she said.

She took over in 2007 after her grandpa, whose nickname was "Hamburger," died.

Garcia's 6-year-old daughter often helps her mom wash tables. She'll say, "Mom, I want to do this someday."

"We've been here so long that we'll never move," she said. "Everyone always knows where Bob's is and they're happy we're here."

Doctors Even Use This Pharmacy

A few feet away from the burger joint, Louis "Rusty" Hewitson tells colorful stories about how a former owner of the 116-year-old Pleasanton Custom Care Pharmacy lost the business sometime between 1910 and 1930 in a poker game. Yet it remained local and thrived.

Peter Rock built the pharmacy in 1895, though it wasn't called that back then. Also back then, it was on Main, where Domus is. Then it moved to where is on Main and then in the 1970s, it moved to its current spot on First.

Hewitson began work there in 1957 as a high-school student. Then in 1971, after he'd graduated from pharmacy school and spent three years in the Navy, he came back. Now, he owns the place and, after 54 years, is getting ready to retire.

Most employees have been there a decade or more, which leads to a pretty personal relationship with customers, Hewitson said. Even doctors fill prescriptions there.

Hewitson said he and Panetta, who owns the barbershop next door, engage in a little friendly competition.

"I used to say we were the better-known business, but it's probably Cosmo's," he said. "Now when I tell people where we are, I say 'next to Cosmo' and they always know what that means."

Olson said that overall, Pleasanton's downtown has had a reputation as being boutiquey and destination-oriented. Or the type of place you go only if you're looking for a good restaurant.

"We want people to think of downtown daily," Olson said. "There's a misconception that it's the place you go for high-end things or for food, but there are medical offices, dentists — everything you need.

"We'd like people to rediscover the businesses here — leave their assumptions at home and give it a fresh look."