Disappointment in downtown After less than a year in operation, Wildwood Market closes

One or two people linger in the store, halfheartedly browsing the shelves for something to buy. Outside, the tables sity empty; no one stays long enough to sit down and enjoy the mosaic pattern that adorns the deck. The same sign — big, careful letters — smothers each side of the wall: Sale. Everything 40 percent off. 

These were the last days of a dying business: Wildwood Market, Saratoga's home-grown grocery store that started late last July with one man's dream and shut its doors for the last time on March 15.

"It's just simple math," said owner and Saratoga High parent Frank Dutro. "I'm losing thousands of dollars every month."

It would be easy to say Dutro is bitter, but the stronger undertone is exhaustion, disappointment. Contrast this with the Dutro of July 2013, who told the Saratoga Patch, a community paper, that “On a scale from one to 10, the reception I'm getting is about a 20.” Now it’s a different message.

“It’s pretty hard,” he said. “There is no real support for small businesses here.” 

Dutro initially thought other Saratoga small businesses made a profit, but after talking to them, he realized “they don’t make money.” 

A business can succeed downtown “if it is the right business,” Dutro said, but he no longer believes Wildwood Market is fits the description. 

When asked if he would change anything if he went back in time, he said he would “probably build a hole.” Then he changes his mind. “You know what? If I had to do it again, I probably wouldn’t do it.” 

The market was scheduled to auction off its equipment on March 15. He closed the store “right afterwards.” He does not plan on opening Wildwood anywhere else, he said, or trying again in Saratoga anytime in the future. 

While acknowledging Dutro’s valiant efforts, some of Wildwood Market’s neighbors mentioned other reasons for the business’s struggle. 

According to the owner of Fat Robin, an antique shop located just down Big Basin Way, Wildwood Market needed to stay open longer to build its customer base. 

“You never start a business unless you plan to stay in it for at least five years,” she said. “Of course [Saratoga needs] a market, but you have to stay in there and merchandize it properly.”

She added, “I think [Dutro] would be the first to tell you he expected [customers] to come immediately.” 

In contrast, she has operated the Fat Robin for 41 years. The business has been alive for even longer; her family was the original owner. 

She also cited the lack of foot traffic in Saratoga as a major issue, saying the downtown doesn’t have “the right kind of stores.” 

Another local merchant, Adam Clark, owner of Everything But the Wedding Dress, denounced Saratoga’s “old school philosophy” of prioritizing tradition over growth. For instance, he said the permit system is outdated and inefficient.

Clark said it takes “three months and two thousand dollars” to put up a sign because it needs to go through so many commissions for approval. 

“In that time, your sign isn’t there,” Clark said. “You aren’t getting your business out there.” 

Still, Clark believes there is hope if Saratoga could emulate the resurrection of Campbell’s downtown. It used to be a “ghost town,” Clark said, but by bringing in popular business like Aqui’s, a restaurant chain, civic leaders have attracted more people from all over the Bay Area.

As a result, more store owners moved to Campbell’s downtown, he said, because they knew they would have foot traffic to back up their businesses.

Whatever the causes, Wildwood Market is gone for good. Historically, the space has been host to a series of businesses that "came and went,” according to the Saratoga Patch. 

As a child, Dutro often went to the Saratoga Drug Store, and it served as an inspiration when he opened his business. The Saratoga Drug Store was in operation from 1910 to 1999. In a sign of the times, Wildwood Market lasted six months.