ON a Saturday night in Campbell, there are people spilling out into the streets in front of Katie Bloom’s, and a little further down Campbell Avenue, at Aqui’s. Dog walkers are roaming the sidewalks right next to bar hoppers. There’s a calm buzz across the four-block stretch that more or less makes up Campbell’s downtown, one that intensifies the closer you get to one of its packed nightspots.
There’s nothing quite like this vibe in other South Bay communities, outside of maybe Palo Alto’s University Avenue. It’s certainly a lot different from the rhythmless, stop-and-start pulse of neighboring San Jose’s downtown scene. In fact, when one crowded table at Katie Bloom’s is asked if they ever venture into downtown San Jose themselves, a couple of them smile as if they’ve just heard a particularly funny joke. The consensus: Not much, if at all.
Surveying a very similar scene over multiple nights, the question is: What is Campbell doing right?
Neal Collins, executive director of the Campbell Chamber of Commerce, thinks he has an answer. “One, it’s being consistent,” he says. “I think San Jose suffers from a lot of stop-and-go direction. Like the Pavilion, that’s a classic example. How many times has that been redone and reformulated? I think we’ve had a consistent general plan.”
That plan, too, is much different from downtown San Jose’s, which often succeeds or fails based on big, name-brand events—be it the Sharks, big-name entertainment draws or special events. But rarely do people seem to be going to downtown Campbell to see something. The music at spots like Boswell’s, Khartoum or Cardiff Lounge is fairly homegrown and usually free. “The area itself has become the destination,” says Collins. “Coming to downtown Campbell is kind of seen as affordable entertainment.”
Jeff Evans, co-owner of the Campbell vinyl shop On the Corner Music, says that in his nearly three years on Campbell Avenue he’s seen the city simply outthink its neighbors in terms of drawing crowds.”I like that they have multiple street festivals during the year,” he says. “Although downtown San Jose seems to be getting back into that.” Indeed, Campbell’s three big festivals— Boogie on the Bayou (May), Big Bands and BBQ (July 17) and Oktoberfest (Oct. 16–17)—are smash successes every year.
“It’s insane,” says Lauren Peetz, a sales associate at the Therapy store on Campbell Avenue who has worked during the city’s festivals. “It’s really cool. You get the drunk people wandering in and throwing sock monkeys around, but generally, it’s fun.”
Peetz attributes Campbell’s success to the way it’s set itself apart from other South Bay downtowns—not big-city, not small-town, but somewhere in the middle. “It’s got a different vibe than Los Gatos,” she says. “I think it’s more accessible to people.”
The city also hosts a free summer music series and a sunset cinema series, as well as the most popular farmers market in the South Bay, and has started a First Fridays night devoted to art and music.
“We’ve really tried to embrace downtown music and entertainment,” says Collins.
But Evans thinks Campbell needs to seize the opportunity that its current success presents and raise the quality of the nightlife scene.
“They could do a better job of really courting more arts and music,” he says. He’s had local groups like the Limousines (who recently played BFD) perform at his store, which is becoming along with Psycho Donuts one of the underground spots for interesting bands to play. “The city of Campbell kind of makes it difficult sometimes.”
Evans is beginning to see downtown San Jose making that adjustment—he was blown away by the recent SubZERO Festival, and is performing at this year’s Left Coast Live with his band Dirty Pillows.
Meanwhile, the city of Campbell is working on what planners call the East Campbell Master Plan, which will better connect downtown to the Pruneyard, and probably include a new parking garage. Collins sees it not so much as a competition between Campbell and San Jose, but as a time when innovation and cooperation are a must. “We all have to get creative,” he says.
