Downtown Gilbert humming to a new beat

Downtown Gilbert, the historic heart of the town, has a new beat.

Small shops, trendy restaurants and lively events are restoring vitality to the aging district.

Drawing crowds are new eateries such as Postino East, Joyride Taco House and So Cal Fish Taco Co., which join favorites like Liberty Market, Farmhouse Restaurant, Oregano's Pizza Bistro and Joe's Real BBQ.

The choices will expand further when the 31,000-square-foot mixed-use center called Heritage Marketplace opens this summer at the northwestern corner of Gilbert Road and Vaughn Avenue. Sam Fox's Zinburger and Lo-Lo's Chicken & Waffles are slated to open there this summer, while Barrio Queen Gilbert is expected to open by the end of the year.

Further out, the opening of the St. Xavier University campus on the northwestern corner of Vaughn Avenue and Ash Street in August 2015 brings the promise of more daytime crowds.

Just west of Water Tower Park, the Gilbert Farmers Market sets up shop every Saturday and draws people interested in locally grown food. The Gilbert Art Walk joins the bustle on some Saturdays, although it's now taking a summer hiatus.

On the east side of Gilbert Road, Flashback Antiques & Collectibles does a roaring trade. Farther south, on the second floor of the Heritage Building, Art Intersection presents niche photography shows and classes.

"When I'm looking to eat out, I love going to Downtown Gilbert," said resident Gayle Disch said. "It's vibrant, exciting, with multiple choices for really good food. Besides, it's a historic district and it's different from a strip mall."

So, how did the homesteading downtown sync its pulse with the 21st century?

"It's a combination of a few things," said Mary Ellen Fresquez, a longtime proponent of developing downtown, who also owns real estate there.

She points to Hale Centre Theatre, Liberty Market, Joe's Real BBQ and the Water Tower Plaza, as draws. "That might have worked together as a catalyst for bringing in more restaurants," Fresquez said.

Good demographics don't hurt, either. Gilbert boasts some of the most affluent demographics in metro Phoenix, with a median household income higher than Scottsdale's and an average home price about 34 percent higher than the state average.

Although the makeover became noticeable in recent years, the groundwork was laid about 20 years ago.

Greg Tilque, who over 25 years held various municipal positions related to economic development and has since retired, said the vision of the time is becoming reality.

"We wanted a high density of businesses in the area," Tilque said. "(We wanted to) create a very walkable area that would draw residents, tourists and people from other parts of the Valley."

Restaurants loomed large in the plan but weren't the only thing. "After we got a critical mass of those users, the next step was to attract office users and higher education," Tilque said.

Over the years, and continuing with current Economic Development Director Dan Henderson, the town has cleaned up rundown residential buildings, purchased land, created attractive parks, emphasized the historical significance of the area and built parking, crossings and other necessary infrastructure.

Joe Johnston, a Gilbert native, brought the first modern, large-format restaurant to downtown when he opened Joe's Real BBQ in a historical brick building on the northeastern corner of Gilbert Road and Page Avenue in 1998. Johnston had spent time in Texas, where long, brick buildings are sociable barbecue joints.

"The barbecue was perfectly matched to Gilbert at the time. It's definitely family-friendly and it has the old-timey feel, pride-of-Arizona look inside," Johnston said. "From the very first day it opened, it was very popular."

Johnston followed up with another successful venture in 2008, Liberty Market at the southwestern corner of Gilbert Road and Page Avenue in a building that once housed an old grocery store.

"It was one that had much more modern leanings and something you could have found in Portland or Brooklyn, and it did well," Johnston said.

Another nearby spot, the GrainBelt Building, struggled to find the right mix until Scottsdale developer Mike Bennan took a chance and purchased the building. He redesigned the interior and split it into two. Seizing the chance, Phoenix restaurateur Craig DeMarco opened Postino East there two years ago and followed it with Joyride Taco House a year later. DeMarco co-owns Upward Projects, which adapts historical buildings to create its brands of restaurants. He credits his confidence to venture east to the mentoring by Johnston and the town's support.

"It's one of the best decisions that we have made; we love doing business in Gilbert," he said.

At Postino East, DeMarco attracts Gilbert residents and draws diners from surrounding suburbia. He also has a built-in clientele from the patrons of the nearby Hale Centre Theatre.

Since 2003, Dave Dietlein has been creating theater for a homegrown audience.

Theater patrons flock to see his plays throughout the year, attracted to the intimate theater-in-the-round and its family-friendly productions.

At a time when theaters are opening and closing in succession, Dietlein credits his longevity to hard work, intuition and a willingness to take risks.

Additionally, the theatre is reasonably priced. "Our tickets are $25 and our season-ticket owners pay $18. We offer a very fair product," Dietlein said.

As much as Hale helps with the downtown renaissance, the busy restaurants help other shops.

Gilbert long-timer Alan Fitzgerald created his gallery/vintage and modern photography education space in 2011. It's a destination for photography buffs but now attracts others, which he hopes will only increase as downtown activity continues to grow.

"Walk-in traffic is improving; the activity level down here has made a difference for us," Fitzgerald said.