Hole that will be Draeger’s

And that’s really too bad.

When I was 13 and selling newspaper subscriptions for the San Mateo Times, I recall being in the ghost town that was downtown San Mateo anchored by the vacant Levy Bros. building at Fourth Avenue and B Street. Replacing it about 30 years ago was Draeger’s, which was heralded for its European-style and great selection (albeit pricy). If you wanted a butcher who could prep some Korean or Hawaiian-style ribs for you on the fly or not think twice when you asked them to French cut some lamb shanks, you went to Draeger’s. If you needed a great cake, a last-minute housewares gift, olives from a bar or a stuffed pepper, you went to Draeger’s. And workers there are eternally pleasant and helpful.

It was a surprise to me that the grocer didn’t own the building, but that was discovered when there was a development proposal for a five-story, 100,000-square-foot office building with 10 below-market-rate housing units and about 17,000 square feet for a grocery store. That square footage was a far cry from the 60,000 square feet Draeger’s now has, which includes the upstairs housewares section and a now-closed gourmet restaurant. I’m guessing that downgrade had something to do with the departure, but who knows? It could also have been the longer lead time needed for the actual development since there was a request for a city approval extension until 2026. The store needed more repairs lately, and perhaps it got to the point in which it no longer met the Draeger family standards and there was no point in putting money into a building that was to be shut down. But again, who knows? Despite our requests, there was little publicly stated aside from thanking the San Mateo community and employees.

I suspect that the hole that will soon be the vacant Draeger’s will remain for years, but I hope there will be an announcement that either Draeger’s will actually return in the new development, or another high-end and/or traditional grocer will be there once the construction is over, and soon.

If not, the city’s concept of putting more housing downtown has a flaw. Without a traditional grocer, residents both old and new will have to travel by train, bus or car to another location to get food. Don’t get me wrong, I love the other grocery offerings downtown: Dean’s Produce, Suruki Supermarket, Mi Rancho Supermarket and Takahashi Market are great, but not the same — especially since Trag’s Market was also replaced by an office building as well. There is an opportunity here in downtown San Mateo and I hope someone takes it.

In the meantime, there are other opportunities without a major grocer. There was once a proposal for a stall-type market place (like at the Ferry Building) in the old Rite-Aid (Thrifty’s) building on B Street that was reportedly frowned upon by the owners of downtown’s big markets. A nice spot for something like that could be the wide-open space at the bottom of the office building at Baldwin Avenue and North B Street where Trag’s was previously. San Mateo is epicurean enough for such a locale, no?

The owners of downtown’s big markets also reportedly frowned upon the idea of a farmers’ market at the train station or B Street. Now that B Street is closed to cars between First and Third avenues, what better way to provide a draw on Sunday mornings when it’s typically quiet downtown. Farmers’ markets have been popular in places considered to be a food desert, though I’m not sure downtown would qualify for that label just yet. But the point is, let’s take advantage of this situation so it’s not a total loss.

Downtown San Mateo is in constant flux and there is only so much city officials can do, but it’s worrisome to see a few anchors, especially grocers, just disappear. Progress can be made, and finances and market timing can be problematic, but it would be nice to hear some assurances that it’s not all bad, and that downtown can still be a place for residents to restock their pantries and not have to get in their car to do it. Otherwise it kind of feels like a broken promise.