Where Do You Go If You're In Alamo?

If you live in Alamo and you want to do some serious shopping, which direction do you head? North or south?

Downtown Walnut Creek and downtown Danville are both short drives for most people who reside in Alamo.

Granted, there are places to shop in Alamo itself. Alamo Plaza and Stone Valley Shopping Center are two of the malls along the town's main strip.

However, if you want to hit a major department store or broaden your selection of clothing outlets or restaurants, Alamo residents need to drive one direction or the other on Danville Boulevard to reach one of their neighboring cities' downtown areas.

Walnut Creek offers one of the more popular regional shopping districts with Broadway Plaza as well as its shops on Main Street, Locust Street and Broadway.

Jay Hoyer, Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce president, says the downtown area there offers a wide variety of stores and restaurants within a short walking distance, no matter what street you're on.

"You can go from Tiffany's to Ross Dress for Less in a block and a half," said Hoyer. "We have an extraordinary range of stores in the downtown."

He also noted there is free parking in a number of garages downtown.

Hoyer said downtown Walnut Creek businesses produce $1 billion a year in sales revenue and a good percentage of that comes from Alamo shoppers.

Shelby McNamara, president of the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce, said that city's downtown gets its share of Alamo shoppers.

She surmised most of the people who live in the northern part of town go to Walnut Creek while most of the residents in the town's southern sector go to Danville.

McNamara said Danville doesn't have any large department stores, but it offers more speciality stores and more unique shops.

"There are a lot of one-of-a-kind stores here," she said.

Marcia Harmon, owner of Cottage Jewel, said a lot of her Alamo customers venture to downtown Danville because their children go to San Ramon Valley High and they feel a connection.

"We're the same people their kids are playing sports with," she said.

McNamara also noted street parking is free in downtown Danville, something you don't find often on the meter-laden streets of Walnut Creek.

"You can have all the garages you want, but people still want to pull up to their store, hop out and go on in," she said.

The organization also named itself the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce for a reason. McNamara said they represent businesses in Danville, Alamo, Blackhawk and Diablo.

Steve Mick, a member of the Alamo Alamo Chamber of Commerce, is diplomatic when discussing the situation. He says both neighboring towns have their strengths.

"Walnut Creek and Danville both offer something for people," he said.

However, Mick said he usually stays in Alamo to do his shopping. He says most Alamo residents are the same way.

"For the most part, you can get anything you need here," he said.

However, Hal Bailey, a long-time Alamo resident, said he believes most Alamo residents prefer to travel to their neighbor to the north.

"I regularly shop in Walnut Creek," he said. "I think most people in Alamo treat Walnut Creek as their downtown."

He said Walnut Creek is a "more cosmopolitan community" and that is a lure for Alamo residents.

"It has more of the flavor of what people in Alamo seek," he said.

Which town do you prefer to shop in when you travel outside Alamo? Vote in our poll and then discuss the issue in our comments section.