Merchants Unite to Promote Old Town

With an eye to the future of their small commercial center, some Old Town Calabasas merchants have formed an association to support efforts to make the area a destination for shoppers and restaurant-goers.

While they wait for the city of Calabasas to begin a planned Old Town revitalization project, merchants said they want to take a proactive approach to increasing awareness of the historic business district.

“We’ve never had an association before, and this way everyone can talk and find out what their needs are,� said Rory Palmeri, the newly elected president of the Old Town Calabasas Merchants Assn. “There is strength in numbers.�

The 10 businesses in the association are located on the south side of Calabasas Road, near the Valley Circle Boulevard interchange of the Ventura Freeway.

The merchants hope to duplicate the success they’ve had with a weekly farmers’ market by means of other special events and promotions, Palmeri said.

City Manager Charles Cate said the association can help get people in the area to look around, despite the fact that they may be inconvenienced during construction.

“It takes a long time to get people to change their shopping habits,� he said.

It wouldn’t be the first time the area has been put out. Calabasas Road was torn up for nearly two years while Caltrans made improvements to the nearby freeway offramp.

Another longtime problem has been the dearth of available parking, a situation that may be exacerbated if more shoppers flock to the area. “That is more of a city issue,� Palmeri said.

Said Cate: “We think we have some alternatives that are worthy of consideration, but there is an existing inventory of parking spaces people are not aware of. Like the [ReMax real estate office] lot, there are 100 spaces that can be used after hours and on weekends.�

Another option, he said, is a shuttle service from lots just west of the shopping area to take people who work nearby to the shops and restaurants.