Popping up to promote shops in San Bruno

The motivation behind the mural came from business owners’ desire to bring more local crowds to San Bruno’s business district. The initiative is a collaborative project between residents and entrepreneurs who envision that the town’s small but charming business center could thrive if more people saw it as a destination to shop and eat.

Some business owners have high hopes that the mural project will generate buzz throughout the county and attract more people to explore and support what the town of San Bruno has to offer.

“Most people who live here don’t even know we exist, because why? They would rather go to Millbrae or Burlingame,” Jemmelee Tecson, a SBIG member and the owner of Catch 22 Salon and Boutique, said. “We don’t highlight what we have downtown, and it’s hard to do that when you are a small business.”

Leading these kinds of initiatives to bring economic vitality to downtown is the business owners’ way for local business owners to take matters into their own hands. SBIG’s president, Sadana Traxler, explained that downtown San Bruno business owners wanted to support one another to sustain their enterprises, so they organized events to bring people to the area at the expense of their pockets. 

On top of operating costs in their businesses, paying for the event’s logistics also stretches the budget of store owners. According to Traxler, former San Bruno Mayor Linda Mason, who sits on the board of advisors for the improvement group, suggested that they formally register as a nonprofit organization to apply for grants to ease the burden.

“We found that the city [of San Bruno] wasn’t necessarily putting on as many events as we would have liked here in San Bruno as business owners,” Traxler said, who owns the Twice as Nice clothing store in San Bruno. “And we thought, ‘Well, how can we bring foot traffic? How can we do our part and just get people downtown?’”

Business owners like Traxler and Tecson hope to see more support from the city to improve the business strip.

SBIG works with Skyline College’s Bay Area Entrepreneur Center to gather community input on the design and their expectations for the upcoming mural. The organization reached halfway to its monetary goal for the mural project, Traxler said.

San Bruno native Esmey Chanona, one of the entrepreneurs who signed up for the pop-up event, said she had a fantastic time interacting with familiar faces and people who visited the area for the first time.

“There’s a lot of improvements being done here, and I’m really happy to see that my city is advancing,” Chanona said, who runs Bonboncito’s Candles.

More than 10 local business owners set up tables along San Mateo Avenue’s sidewalk, offering savory deli sandwiches, chia-based desserts and home-baked goods. SBIG and other vendors sold merchandise, crocheted toys and handmade jewelry. Other stores also hosted free pet exhibits and information booths on basic needs assistance.

The first part of the series coincided with the San Bruno Police Day on May 17. A new set of vendors will rotate for June 21-22.