It Takes a Team: Gilroy’ s Downtown Gems Sustained by Small Vendors
by Morgan Blaettler
New Collaborative Businesses Breath Life into Iconic Downtown Buildings:
It ' s timeless. It ' s trendy. It ' s downtown’ s Apothecary Vintage, a boutique specializing in vintage-style apparel. The shop opened this Spring, after the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon‐cutting ceremony on Friday, April 11, 2025. The building’ s history dates back to 1924, when it was known as Johnson’ s Drug Store, part of the 1920s downtown revitalization era.
Most of its classic pharmacy character has been preserved throughout the years, inspiring the name“ Apothecary Vintage”. Tina Alonzo, owner of Apothecary, shares,“ The store has great bones.” The building’ s beautiful woodwork, with original cabinetry and apothecary drawers, is paired with old religious sculptures and band poster decor, unlike anything else found in Gilroy.
The store holds over 20 clothing vendors and five other vendors who sell miscellaneous items such as jewelry and crafts. The variety of vendors provides a blend of vibes and styles for customers to explore. Tina offers,” We have something for everybody here. But also, many people dream of having a store and just realistically can ' t do it.” The way the store is set up, vendors can be their own bosses while being able to create and sell what they want.
The vision for the store involved Tina’ s son and sales associate Christian Alonzo, who wanted to plant seeds in his own city for other locals like him who want something cool to do. The response from the community has shown how those seeds have sprouted. Christian describes,“ We have kids that come here for two to three hours, and they don ' t even buy anything. And that doesn ' t matter.” Visitors enjoy watching in-store VHS movies, reading old magazines and browsing clothes.“ That ' s really the goal,” Christian continues,“ having a place where people could come and hang out, and people do.”
The boutique hosted its Summer Kickoff Event in July, featuring a live DJ and tattoo pop‐ups. They also participated in Gilroy’ s Downtown Live Concerts on Thursday nights throughout the summer. In the future, they plan to continue hosting events such as markets and seasonal celebrations.
The store is open Monday through Friday: 9am to 5pm, at 7451 Monterey Street. Check it out!
Among the blossoming multi-vendor shops downtown is The Cannery Marketplace. Opening in October of 2024, the maker’ s
44 FALL 2025 Gilroy • Morgan Hill TODAY Magazine: Go. Make history... gmhtoday. com