Kobey Says Let’s Make a Deal--Downtown
Monte Kobey, the swap meet czar of San Diego, said Wednesday he is expanding into the eight-story former Walker Scott department store downtown, where he hopes by mid-April to have transformed the empty building into a discount bazaar with 350 merchants selling their goods from individual stalls.
Though Kobey said he expects many of the merchants at his Sports Arena swap meet to rent stalls, he stressed that the new Kobey’s Downtown won’t be a swap meet, but rather will involve the sale of new merchandise only.
“I’m used to a parking lot and stalls on the ground . . . what can I say,” the self-effacing Kobey said as he tried to explain why he decided to expand downtown.
“We’re excited about it. . . . We’re excited about the trolley (being so close) . . . and all the city’s buses end up close to 5th and Broadway,” the building’s address.
Chuck del Valle, representing the owners of the building, said he first approached Kobey with the idea of expanding downtown. As envisioned by Del Valle and Kobey, the downtown complex would mirror similar large mercantile warehouses and buildings in Los Angeles’ garment district.
Kobey has agreed to a five-year lease of the old Walker Scott store, but he said he has yet to sign the lease, pending his ability to rent most of the 350 stalls planned for the 94,000-square-foot building.
Kobey, who made his announcement at a U.S. Grant Hotel press conference, said the store would be open seven days a week, with hours identical to those of its glitzy neighbor one block south, Horton Plaza, and, unlike the swap meet, would have no admission charge.
As for scarce downtown parking, Kobey said that he will rent parking lots on weekends to provide his customers free parking. During the week, he expects that the majority of his customers will be people who work downtown. Kobey estimated the downtown work force at 150,000.
He said he will try to discourage his customers from abusing the free parking provided by Horton Plaza at its parking garage.
The vendors Kobey is trying to attract downtown will be wholesalers, importers and the small one- and two-person businesses that dominate the Sports Arena swap meet. Goods for sale would range from clothing, jewelry, electronic components and spas to housewares, toys and furniture.
