Donna Layburn, the current leader of Castro Valley Marketplace (CVM) wasn’t sure about how the five-year anniversary for the venue would play out. “We didn’t know what to expect. So many people are out of town for vacations. And then the school year starts so quickly in August.”
However, the July 17 event was packed with people dancing to music from a local Latin rock band, sampling food and drinks from stores and restaurants, participating in art projects, and in general engaging with local businesses and having a good time.
Layburn, founder of East Bay Natural Grocers, has been with the project since the beginning, bringing anchor store Castro Valley Natural Grocery.
A history wall on the mezzanine level tells the whole story of the building with photos and newspaper clippings. For over three decades the building was home to the Daughtrey family department store. Unfortunately it shuttered in 1991, after being purchased by Ohio-based Klines Department Store. Then the fate of the building was uncertain: For a while it was a pool hall, and there were even plans to demolish the structure and make a town square. The proposal for CVM was selected in July 2017 by Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council.
Construction began in 2019, but Covid delayed the opening in 2020. Luckily, the marketplace was allowed to open in July of that year as an essential business. “It’s been a hard five years,” says Layburn. “No doubt about it, absolutely. Opening up during Covid in July was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding.’ There were only three of us in here.” The original businesses were Layburn’s Castro Valley Natural Grocery, Seven Hills Baking Co. and Baron’s Quality Meats and Sea Food. All three were open and doing business during Thursday’s event.
There have been bumps along the road. Cannery Kitchen & Tap left after conflicts in 2021 over their live music. The Night Owl and Lab200 are also no longer part of the marketplace. However, even as some tenants moved on, more joined. In the last year, Tony Gemignani’s Slice House and La Perla Puerto Rican cuisine opened, and Pho 5-10 held its grand opening the weekend of July 19. Now there are only a few spots left upstairs to fill.
Layburn has taken care to make sure incoming tenants fit the identity of CVM, knowing that once they join, running the marketplace is a collaborative process.
She explains, “Everybody here’s incredibly passionate and has a vision of what kind of food they want to make sure people enjoy in their lives and take into their bodies. It’s a whole other thing to meld together as an ownership community. Sometimes it’s a challenge, but most of the time it’s absolutely wonderful. You get to be friends and compatriots, and you can cry together and laugh together and decide how to move forward together.”
Despite CVM’s most common descriptor, Layburn doesn’t envision it as a “food hall.” “Food halls are just restaurant-type food…What anchors [CVM] is people come here to shop for groceries, shop for meat and pastries and wine and cheese, and walk out and they’ve got everything in their car ready to go. I think it changes the dynamic from a food hall.”
Teddy Seibert, co-owner of TwiningVine Winery with Keith Seibert, shared that the current environment can be tough for local businesses. The pair at one point wanted to open a tasting room in downtown Castro Valley, but the cost was prohibitive. Now they focus on their estate winery, with some bottles for sale at CVM.
Art installations and events also make the marketplace vibe more communal. Smalltown Society started doing mixers with live music at CVM in 2024, and Layburn is especially happy to have them involved. “It’s a different demographic for Castro Valley. It’s the younger folk. And they’re hip and cool and they care about this kind of thing. It’s fun to work with them.” Smalltown represented at the anniversary, along with Hayward Latin rock band The Cires.
“I think art and food and music all go together,” remarks Layburn.
Over five years an empty building has transformed into a hub for local businesses, one tenants can hope to call home for years to come. “It’s very exciting to think we’ll be here next year,” says Layburn. “More successful, more people and having more fun, hopefully!”
