I have always had a place in my heart for Valentines Day so February 8th I hosted an I Love WG Walk in downtown Willow Glen to celebrate this special holiday. Since moving to San Jose in 2007 I’ve probably spent the most time on Lincoln Avenue in Willow Glen. This area has been updated with many new restaurants and stores in the last 10 years or so. I had a lot of fun planning this particular event! All of the businesses were very generous and helpful especially with the promoting of it. The I Love WG Walk was the second Valentines event I’ve put on. A year ago I did a I Love SJ scavenger hunt in Downtown San Jose. Since everyone seemed to really enjoy it I decided to do the same theme again.
I started the planning by creating a graphic design. This was a heart with all of the icons for the stops in the event. The theme was eating and shopping your way through downtown Willow Glen. The Tiffany blue color was inspired by the packaging from a couple of the businesses that were participating in the event. I paired the Tiffany blue with red for Valentines.
Stop #1 on the walk map was at Dolce Sicilia in the Garden Theater Building. Everyone met me in the morning a this family owned Italian Cafe and picked up their goodie bags with swag, walk maps, and a $5 Dolce Sicilia gift card to enjoy their delicious coffee, cookies, or gelato with friends before our walking adventure.
I tried many Dolce Sicilia treats while planning my event for breakfast and an afternoon treat. My top choices are the Cappuccino paired with Tenereszze Al Limone Cookies or Limoncello Mascarpone Cake. The owners at Dolce Sicilia were so friendly and helpful in promoting my event. I really appreciate all that they did for my little boutique event planning business.
Stop #2 on my walk map was Life in Willow Glen - Mural by Lila Gemellos. After Dolce Sicilia everyone walked over to the side of the BevMo building to take a photo together by this fabulous colorful mural which portrays the life in Willow Glen. I have featured Lila’s murals in most of my walk events as I really admire her work depicting the culture of San Jose. Through all of these events we have become friends. She has been super generous in making swag items for me as well. Check out her latest mural at San Pedro Market when it is finished. I was lucky to see her working on it behind the scenes!
Stop #3 on my walk was at Petroglyph Ceramic Lounge. The gold ticket holders for my event enjoyed painting ceramic heart magnets with friends. We brought our coffee over from Dolce Sicilia to enjoy while we were painting our pottery and the results are super cute!
Stop #4 on my walk map was at Braise Willow Glen. A group of us enjoyed an amazing brunch at this awesome little restaurant. Along with brunch we all received a complementary copy of the November/December 2019 issue of Content Magazine which featured Braise so that my guests could read more about it. My favorite items on the menu are the sweet and savory cheddar beignets for an appetizer and the Mini Chocolate Pot de Creme with marshmallow fluff brûlée for dessert.
Stop #5 on the walk map was at Ibiss Boutique. Everyone had fun shopping at this modern girl’s dream closet on the day of the event with their friends. The owner of Ibiss was very generous with us. Not only did she give us 20% off for the day she also gave us complimentary pairs of earrings and mini lipsticks for our goodie bags.
The Bonus Stop! on the walk map was at Blue Mercury-make up. skincare.spa. This was added after the maps were already printed. Since I stop in this make up store quit often I have made friends with the manager Jennifer at this location. She got the word about my event and wanted to be added to the walk. She was super generous and gave all of us little bags with complementary skin care products.
Stop #6 on the walk map was at Mariette Premium Chocolates. When strolling into this fun local chocolate shop everyone enjoyed complimentary chocolate hazelnut cream and vanilla cream hearts. The manager and owners were super friendly and really delightful to work with before and during the event. They were very sweet and had a nice display with the chocolates individually wrapped in Tiffany blue boxes with red ribbons. This was all set out for us when we walked into the shop on the day of the event.
Stop #7 on my walk map was at Mann’s Jewelers. This spectacular family owned jewelry store has been a mainstay on the Avenue for many years. Here we received complimentary glasses of champagne while getting our jewelry cleaned. We also received unexpected little goodie bags with two pairs of earrings, a jewelry cleaning cloth, and a coupon. We really felt the love from the store owners. They were amazing with the planning of the event and with the little private party we had in their store on the day of the festivities.
Stop #8 on my walk map was at Three Sisters Willow Glen. Everyone enjoyed shopping at the cutest vintage antique shop in Willow Glen. The owner Carole was super generous with promoting my event beforehand by putting out flyers and decorating the store for Valentines. She also gave us all complimentary items when we came into the store, which included lovely French heart guest soaps and little jars of honey from Willow Glen Honey. It was a sweet little stop to end the day with.
Stop #9 on my walk map was at 20twenty Cheese Bar. This was the last and final stop of the day which ended with a wine gathering at this lively cheese and wine bar. We sat outside on the back patio and enjoyed their Artisan cheeses and wines while we chatted about our fun day. My favorite wine and cheese choice is the Humbolt Fog Goat Cheese paired with the Fess Parker Pinot Noir.
The I Love WG Walk in downtown Willow Glen was a pretty successful day! I think that this was the best of all of my neighborhood walking events. I will definetly plan one in Willow Glen again. Stay tuned for my next event on May 16th: Los Gatos Coffee & Chocolate Walk in downtown Los Gatos. Stay tuned for more details.