Palo Alto, CA – Drivers coming down El Camino Real may notice a new look to Town & Country Village. The aging signs pointing shoppers to the center have been replaced with elegant new marquees. With a nod to the center’s past, the iconic Town & Country lantern has been upgraded and refurbished. But the new signs on the exterior only hint at the changes taking place within. Town and Country’s renaissance continues with a slate of new shops that offer specialty retail and meet the community’s needs.
“We’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response to the changes that are reshaping Town and Country Village,” said Jim Ellis of Ellis Partners LLC, the owners of Town and Country Village. “As Palo Alto’s needs continue to change, we’re committed to growing along with the community. With these new businesses and the November opening of Trader Joes, we’ll place the capstone on Town and Country’s transformation.”
Among the new faces on El Camino Real is Pam Rosekrantz of In Her Shoes, a non-profit women’s boutique that donates 100% of its proceeds to the Global Fund for Women. Rosecrantz founded the store in 2006 to support the Global Fund and bring attention to their mission. The nonprofit foundation works to create a world of equality and social justice by providing grants to women’s groups throughout the world. In two and a half years, In Her Shoes has raised over $65,000 for the charity. In Her Shoes will complete the move to Town and Country from their current downtown Palo Alto location on October 1st.
“Community has always been a central concept at In Her Shoes and we’re excited to join the community of unique businesses at Town and Country,” said Rosekranz. “In Her Shoes is a place where women can come be themselves and enjoy shopping as much for the atmosphere and experience as for the outstanding selection of fashion.”
With a list of designers that spans from Tanna Tarantino to DKNY, In Her Shoes makes the task of providing aid to women throughout the world feel delightfully indulgent. Shoppers will find shoes by Cynthia Vincent, beautiful hand-crafted jewelry by Chan Luu, and the latest apparel from Lucky Brand. In Her Shoes carries clothing, purses, jewelry, and accessories that will appeal to women of any age, allowing mothers and daughters to both go home happy.
Late summer will see the arrival of the much-anticipated Howie’s Artisan Pizza. In addition to exquisitely crafted pizza, Chef Howard Bulka will serve up such delectables as baked mussels, green salads, and a lovingly prepared meatball sandwich. All ingredients will either be sourced from local artisans or prepared onsite. Staff will even make their own fresh mozzarella and specialty sausages. Howie’s was conceived with the belief that food – its purchase, production, and preparation – can form the building blocks of a community.
“Growing up, I always regarded the pizza parlor as a focal point in my neighborhood. It was a warm and wonderful place where local people met and families shared meals. I’m hoping to build that same sort of feeling at Howie’s,” said Bulka.
Tennis instructor and former professional player Todor Manchev has been a familiar presence in the Palo Alto community for years. As a coach at Palo Alto High and Jordan Middle School, Manchev has taught the game to hundreds of local youths. Now Manchev will have an opportunity to share his expertise with adults and children alike at Tennis Town and Country, a new store offering apparel, rackets, shoes, and everything else a player could need.
Opening August 15th, Tennis Town and Country will be a family affair. Manchev’s wife and business partner Timea, along with their four children, will help run the business. The Manchevs are committed to providing shoppers with a customer service experience that ranks second to none. Part of that pledge will be a lending library of over 200 different rackets. Shoppers will have the option of testing an unlimited number of rackets for a week at a time until they find the one that plays “just right.” Tennis Town and Country will boast the latest in racket stringing technology: the fast and precise Wilsonn Baiardo stringing machine. Players will be able to drop off their rackets for stringing and pick them up the next day.
Town & Country will soon be home to one of the most talked-about techniques in personal fitness. The Bar Method has created a sensation of late and has even been described by some devotees as “an addiction.” The workout combines the muscle-shaping principles of isometrics, the body-elongating practice of dance conditioning, the science of physical therapy and the intense pace of interval training into a powerful exercise format that quickly and safely reshapes the body. Noreen Dante and Laura Stein, owners of The Bar Method San Mateo will be opening a new location in Town and Country in early November.
“Ever since we opened our first location, our students have been clamoring for a studio in Palo Alto,” said Stein. “We couldn’t have asked for a better location than Town and Country.”
The new Bar Method in Town and Country will include two large studios, allowing for even more class offerings to accommodate all levels of experience and fitness. The Town and Country studio will also house fully equipped locker rooms with shower facilities and a retail shop with top-of-the-line fitness brands.
“This is a workout system that creates significant body changes, burning fat and carving muscles,” added Dante. “It’s our greatest pleasure to watch students blossom as they progress and we’re excited to bring the Bar Method to the Palo Alto Community.”
Local businesses in need of shipping solutions and Stanford students looking to send their text books back home now won’t have far to look. A new location of The UPS Store will appear this August in Town and Country Village. In addition to domestic and international shipping, The UPS Store will offer color and black-and-white duplication, document finishing, notary, full-service packaging, freight crating and shipping, mailbox and postal services, office and packaging supplies and printing services such as business cards, letterhead, and rubber stamps.
“We are in the business of saving people time,” said The UPS Store owner Jay Patel, “and with shipping prices direct from UPS, we can save them money as well. At The UPS Store, we’re committed to serving the Palo Alto community by providing personalized and convenient business solutions with world-class customer service.”
Paris isn’t the only home of fine fashion as Ruti Zisser well knows. Zisser and husband Sharon Segev are intent on introducing America to a range of Israel’s hottest designers in their new Town and Country boutique. Modeled on the European “concept” store, the shop will focus on helping women love themselves in their clothes.
“In America, Israel is relatively unknown as a fashion center however, Israelis head up many of the top couture houses in Europe and the country is producing some of the most exciting designs in the world,” said Zisser.
The store will import the best of what Israel has to offer and at prices that make high fashion affordable. In addition to apparel, the store will sell home décor, shoes, jewelry, house wares and accessories. Zisser and Segev will introduce the boutique to Palo Alto in October.
Lilibeth Hoffmann believes that every one of us is an artist. When her family-owned business,Create It, moves to Town and Country Village this October, she will give those artists a studio of their own. Create It is a do-it-yourself paradise offering paint-your-own-pottery, mosaic, glass fusion, clay handprints, and more. With an array of fun and affordable projects, visitors can craft mementos that will last a lifetime. An afternoon at Create It offers families with an engaging alternative to time spent at the movies or mall.
Appointments are not required and guests need only bring their imaginations. Create It will provide all the brushes, aprons, glazes, and supplies necessary. The studio stocks hundreds of styles of unglazed pottery from plates to bowls to ornaments. Once a piece is decorated, Create It’s trained staff will fire the work of art in the studio’s kiln and prepare it for pick-up in five to seven days. Families can even take the fun home with them with one of Create It’s customized “Pottery-to-Go” boxes which contain everything needed to make works of art from the comfort. Children aren’t the only ones who love the experience. The studio can also be rented out in advance for company team-building events, bridal showers, birthdays or other special occasions.
“Every day I get the pleasure of watching ordinary people create remarkable works of art,” said Hoffmann. It’s an extraordinary feeling that I can’t wait to share with the Town nad Country community.”
# # #
Tennis Town and Country is a full-service tennis shop offereing equipment, apparel, and stringing services. For more information, visit: www.tennistownandcountry.com.
Ruti Zisser and Sharon Segev will open a new location in Town and Country in October. For more information on Zisser and Segev, visit: www.ruti-designs.com.
The UPS Store locations are independently owned and operated by licensed franchisees of Mail Boxes, Etc., Inc., a UPS company. With more than 5,800 locations around the world, The UPS Store and Mail Boxes, Etc. brands comprise the largest network of retail shipping, postal and business service centers. The UPS Store’s hours of operation are Monday through Friday 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM and Saturday 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. For additional information, visit:www.theupsstore.com.
In Her Shoes is a non-profit boutique offering shoes, clothing, handbags and jewelry in sassy, chic styles at a price that inspires. In Her Shoes is open seven days a week. For more information, visit: www.inhershoespa.com.
The Bar Method workout creates a uniquely lean, firm, sculpted body by combining the muscle-shaping principles of isometrics, the body-elongating practice of dance conditioning, the science of physical therapy and the intense pace of interval training into a powerful exercise format that quickly and safely reshapes and elongates muscles. For more information, visit:www.barmethod.com.
Create It is a family-owned and operated paint-your-own-pottery, mosaic, glass fusion, and clay handprints studio specializing in good times, fun memories and the creation of your very own masterpiece. For more information visit: www.createitceramics.com.
Howie’s Artisan Pizza will open in late summer 2009. For more information, visit:www.howiesartisanpizza.com.