Yeti store and several restaurants head to Santana Row in San Jose

San Jose mixed-use village lands more merchants in post-COVID rebound

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Santana Row in San Jose, described as one of the parent company’s “big four” centers by its principal owner, has added new tenants, including an outdoor gear retailer.

YETI, which specializes in outdoor clothing and equipment, celebrated the grand opening of its new store in Santana Row, a mixed-use destination center with shops, restaurants, homes, offices, and hotels, on Thursday.

According to the retailer, this is the first time YETI has opened a store in the Bay Area or anywhere in Northern California.

According to Collette Navarrette, senior marketing director at Santana Row, which is owned and developed by Federal Realty Investment Trust, several merchant openings are currently in the works.

Among the new job opportunities are:

— YETI, a global designer, retailer, and distributor of innovative outdoor products. Coolers, drinkware, backpacks, and bags are among its products. YETI first opened its doors on Thursday.

— Suspiro, a Peruvian-Spanish fusion restaurant from the owners of Santana Row’s popular El Jardin and Zazil.

— Urban Plates, a restaurant serving seasonal dishes made from scratch with locally sourced ingredients.

— Fitoor, an Indian restaurant and lounge. Fitoor is also the team behind ROOH, a Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in Palo Alto. The Fitoor menu features cuisine from all over India. The ingredients for the food are sourced locally and seasonally.

“New concepts add depth and curiosity to the Santana Row experience,” explained Navarrette.

Donald Wood, Federal Realty’s chief executive officer, highlighted Santana Row as one of the company’s “big four” mixed-use communities that are performing particularly well in a post-coronavirus economy during a recent conference call to discuss the real estate firm’s quarterly financial results.

The success comes at a time when some Bay Area malls have struggled due to the shift to online shopping.

YETI executives believe San Jose is the best location for the company’s first store in Northern California.

“As the premier shopping and entertainment destination in the heart of San Jose, Santana Row was the ideal location for our first Northern California YETI retail store,” said Faiz Ahmad, YETI’s chief commercial officer. “California is home to consumers who share our passion” for the outdoors, says the company.