Rally ‘ Round Downtown Gilroy
Grassroots success stories in the Garlic City
Written By Robin Shepherd
John Russell
Gary Walton
“ We want to see all the storefronts filled , ideally with a mix of locally- owned businesses and some magnet stores .”
Ever notice how people like to talk broadly about things that happen in the community by using the word “ they ”? “ They ” need to bring more new businesses downtown . “ They ” need to attract younger people into the restaurants . “ They ” need to help merchants connect with the community . No doubt we ’ ve all had this experience right ?
Every so often the realization hits home …“ they ” is “ us !”
It was just this kind of realization that sparked the creation of Rally Round Downtown Gilroy ( RRDG ) in 2012 . The non-profit organization was formed by Ann ( Annie ) Palmer , Gary Walton and John Russell to express their passion for downtown Gilroy in the form of grassroots action .
According to John Russell , “ I got to know Annie on CalTrain as a fellow commuter working in Silicon Valley . She frequently talked about all the great things Gilroy has to offer . But while I had lived in the area for more than a decade , I hadn ’ t really spent time exploring the city . She got me thinking about this , and I decided to walk the downtown streets and talk to the merchants . It opened my eyes to the unique character of the heart of the city , defined by its people and businesses , present and future .
“ Annie works in the insurance industry and it was her enthusiasm that brought the three of us together ,” Russell said . “ Within two months we launched our organization and held our first event at Garlic City Billiards . Gary has owned properties in Gilroy and Morgan Hill for many years . He is our idea guru and an enthusiastic community supporter . We all want to encourage more people in Gilroy and South County to come downtown for shopping , dining and fun .”
Russell speaks Spanish as well as English , which he says has allowed him to get to know some of the downtown business owners better . RRDG coordinates regularly with other community organizations such as the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce and the Gilroy Downtown Business Association , of which he and Walton are both members .
“ People don ’ t need to join our organization for us to collaborate with them ,” Russell said . “ We ’ ll work with anyone who shares our vision of making local business a thriving partner for the city .” “ We want to see all the storefronts filled , ideally with a mix of locally-owned businesses and some magnet stores ,” Russell said . “ We organize what we call restaurant rallies with participating downtown restaurants . Each month we notify people on our mailing list where the next
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