Highway project forcing Gilroy landmark to move
The Garlic Shoppe, a popular landmark along Highway 101 in Gilroy, has been given days to relocate after its building was acquired under eminent domain by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency for the construction of a new intersection.
For close to four decades, the Garlic Shoppe has stood as a roadside attraction in the South Bay, offering a diverse range of products from hot sauces to garlic ice cream. Co-owned by brothers Alex Larson, 62, and Charlie Larson, 63, the store became a staple for travelers in the region.
“They told us that if we’re not out of the property by the end of February, the county would miss out on millions of dollars of funding,” said Alex Larson. “But we’re not getting a dime for our business after 39 years in the same place.”
After years of discussions to improve the intersection at Highways 101 and 25, where the store is located, the VTA fast-tracked the project at the beginning of the year, citing currently inadequate infrastructure, which poses both a traffic challenge and a safety hazard.
“These conditions, coupled with high travel speeds, have resulted in higher-than-average accident rates in the interchange area, and traffic backups onto southbound US 101,” the agency explains on its project page.
The $140 million project aims to replace the twolane overcrossing on Highway 25 with a four-lane structure over Highway 101. It also includes extending the length of the Highway 101 off-ramp, introducing new traffic signals and incorporating bike lanes for improved safety.
The VTA declined to provide additional details about the project.
The Larsons, lifelong friends with the property owners of 4310 Monterey Highway, received notice to evacuate the location on Jan. 15. They said the Garlic Shoppe draws an estimated 150,000 customers each year at its current location, but few storefronts that are as easily accessible for weary travelers are available nearby.
“It’s the first location coming into the town. We’re the first bathroom in town. It’s like the unofficial official rest stop.” Larson said. “To work, it’s going to have to be right on the highway, which is one of the main arteries to Gilroy.”
In the interim, the Garlic Shoppe has shipped its inventory and set up inside the tasting room of Rapazzini Winery, which the Larsons also own. But access to this temporary location will also be affected by the construction, requiring a circuitous route through a dirt field.
“They are going to take our access rights,” Larson said. “People will have to go from the back — up 3 miles, back 3 miles, through an orchard.”
The brothers, who were contemplating retirement in a few years, now find their future uncertain.
“Not only do we have the shop but manufacture 40plus food items here,” Larson said. “We keep a lot of different people employed. Who knows what will happen?”
The Garlic Shoppe will maintain its online store during the move, as well as its Garlic Dude line of merchandise.