Khoury's Market Is Closing

Almost one year after taking over the space formerly occupied by the College Terrace Market, it appears that Khoury’s Market will meet the same fate as its predecessor. On Friday morning, the Khoury family sent the following letter to the local community:

Customers and Neighbors:

It is with sadness and regret that Khoury Market must notify you that we will be closing as of [TBD].

Since we opened for business, we have worked hard to provide our customers with a gourmet shopping experience while maintaining a family-market atmosphere that allows us to understand and best serve the wants and needs of our neighborhood. We have sought to build relationships with and understand our customers in order to provide both the daily and specialty items needed to nourish our community.

Unfortunately, there have been several obstacles that have prevented us from being the success we endeavored to be. As you know, the store has been surrounded by fencing and scaffolding for a significant period of time while construction work has been undertaken in other parts of the building. This gives the impression that the store is not open for business and also covers the windows, resulting in a lack of natural light within the store. Construction vehicles have been parked around the building constantly. We have experienced numerous difficulties with the elevator – the sole access to the store – and proper signage directing our customers to our entrance has not been installed. All of this makes it difficult for our customers to enter the market and enjoy our services.

We have tried our best to overcome these challenges but have been unable to do so. We thank you for the opportunity to be of service and hope that we can continue to be so until our closing date.

Sincerely,
Khoury Market

There’s no confirmed closing date but, in the meantime, everything in the store is 30% off.

Reminder: Sing-Along This Saturday

Grab your mittens and your jingle bells! The CTRA’s Strolling Holiday Sing-Along™ is this Saturday at 6pm, starting at the corner of College and Amherst. Join the jolly crowd as we wind our way down College Avenue spreading holiday cheer!

Bring your kids!
Bring your musical instrument! (Even if you haven’t played it in years. This event is about spirit, not musicianship!)
Bring a warm beverage to fuel your stroll!

We’ll make our way down College Avenue from Amherst to Yale Street. Whether you can stay for the entire journey, or just a block or two, we’d love to see you before the year ends.

Hope to see you all Saturday night!

Strolling Holiday Sing-Along: December 14

What better way to deck the halls than to join the CTRA for a strolling holiday sing-along on Saturday, December 14, at 6pm. We’ll start at the corner of College Avenue and Amherst Street and work our way down College to Yale Street, spreading holiday cheer throughout College Terrace.

Bring your kids, bring your pets, and bring an instrument if you play one. We’ll have jingling bells and lyric sheets in case you forget that tricky eighth verse to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Come and go as you please – join us for a block or the entire route.

This event is BYOHC – Bring Your Own Hot Chocolate – but, who knows, if we manage to stay in tune, some generous neighbors may provide refreshments along the way (hint, hint).

Hope to see some you on the 14th for some festive, holiday fun!

Leaf Blowers in Palo Alto

Did you know …

that gas-powered leaf blowers are illegal in residential areas of Palo Alto including College Terrace? Many people aren’t aware even though the law has been in effect for over a decade!

So what should you do?  

First, if you use one yourself, please replace it with an electric blower. The technology has improved considerably in recent years, so making the switch is no longer a hardship.  And if you use a gardening service, please make sure they are aware of the law and comply with it. 

Second, if you’re a renter, please alert your landlord/property manager about the law. They, too, are required to adhere to it. 

Finally, if it is happening on someone else’s property, there are two options.  If you see a crew in the process of using a gas powered blower, the City requests that you call dispatch at 329-2413 (do NOT use 911).  Otherwise, you can file a complaint online or via a mobile app using Palo Alto 311. In any case, you will need to know the address where the gas blower is being used and if you’re reporting online, the date and time.  The gardening company’s name (sometimes found on the side of their truck) and license plate number are also helpful. 

Electric blowers are allowed Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm and Saturday, 10am – 4pm.  All blowers are prohibited on Sundays and holidays. 

Unfortunately, gas-powered blowers are still allowed in non-residential zones such as the Research Park, but even then, there are restrictions on the permitted hours (8am – 6pm weekdays and 10am – 4 pm Saturdays). The same methods of reporting apply.