"As we approach our final service, we would love to welcome you back one more time to enjoy your favorites, raise a glass, and celebrate everything we've shared together." The Virtue + Vice team posted that on Instagram the week of September 7, as reported by Danville San Ramon. The restaurant at 267 Hartz Ave. set Saturday, September 12, as its final day after more than four years downtown.
Three weeks later, the scarecrows went up. From October 1 through November 1, more than 50 downtown businesses have scarecrow displays in their storefronts for the Town's Scarecrow Stroll, and you can vote for your favorite as you go. If you walk the whole route this month, you'll see one change that a list of openings and closings can miss. Several of downtown Danville's gathering places changed hands this season. Some went from a business to the Town, some went from one owner to a neighbor, and one has no host yet.
The storefront that ran a Wednesday fundraiser
The short version is that a bar and restaurant closed. The longer version is the reason 267 Hartz is the right place to start the stroll.
Virtue + Vice opened in spring 2022. Owner and culinary director Sarabjit Bajaj built it around rotating fusion comfort food. In four years the kitchen produced 14 menus and more than 100 cocktails. The figure that matters most to the people who lived nearby is a different one. Its Wednesday night Dine for a Cause program raised more than $100,000 for local nonprofits. "Some of our proudest moments also happened on Wednesday nights," management wrote in its farewell.
That makes 267 Hartz more than an empty restaurant space. For four years, a private business set aside one night a week as a fundraising venue for local groups. As of early October, no successor tenant has been reported. The scarecrows on either side of it are up for the month. Whatever replaces that Wednesday night has not been announced.
The corner that went to the neighbors
Head south along Hartz to Church Street and the story runs the other way.
Rancho Cantina began a soft opening on Monday, August 24, at 501 Hartz Ave., on the corner of Hartz and Church. The space was home to Cocina Hermanas for nearly seven years. Rancho Cantina is the second location of a restaurant that has been in downtown Lafayette for more than a decade. In April 2024, Danville residents Nico and Alice Tzikas took over the Lafayette restaurant, added hours, and started planning a second location closer to home.
It took longer than planned. In May, the owners were aiming for mid-June, and Nico Tzikas said he would be upset if it wasn't open by July 1. Renovations, permits and the state liquor license pushed the opening into late August.
Reported menu highlights include wood-fired carne asada, brick chicken, seafood and a Vaquero Platter, along with tacos, burritos, enchiladas and fajitas. In a September 21 announcement, Tzikas called the restaurant a family investment in the neighborhood and said he hopes it becomes an everyday gathering place. If you haven't been yet, timing helps this month. Every dine-in visit through October 15 enters you in the grand-opening raffle, and the winner will be drawn live on Instagram on October 16.
A busy corner restaurant run by people who live in town is close to how downtown Danville has always worked. What's new is that the biggest corner on Hartz changed owners and stayed local.
A smaller arrival at the north end
At the other end of the street, Le Jardinet opened August 5 at 100 Hartz Ave. It's a floral, antiques and gift boutique, and walk-in hours are Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Those weekday hours mean you'll miss it on a Saturday stroll, so plan a Wednesday through Friday visit if you want to go in.
The room the Town is building
The biggest change to downtown's gathering places is on Front Street, and nobody can use it yet.
On August 12, the Town broke ground on two projects next to each other near the Danville Library and the Town Green. The Town Green Pavilion will be a permanent, raised stage with a solid roof and built-in lighting. It will serve Concerts in the Park, community celebrations and performances on one of the Town's most-used lawns. Next door, the Art District Makers Space will be a 2,100-square-foot studio with a 735-square-foot patio and a kiln. The interior can work as one large classroom or two smaller ones, for painting, pottery and ceramics classes for all ages. The two projects cost $3.8 million combined, paid for through the Town's annual Capital Improvement Program.
"These are two distinct projects, but they share a common purpose: creating welcoming spaces where people can come together," Mayor Newell Arnerich said at the groundbreaking.
The Town's project page shows both projects under construction but gives no completion date. For now, the fence around the work site is the newest feature on the stroll. The Town is spending public money on permanent space for the kind of events that bring people downtown. In the same season, a private business that hosted a weekly fundraiser has closed.
A Scarecrow Stroll route, north to south
This order passes each address mentioned above, so you'll see what's new, what has closed, and what's under construction on one walk:
- 100 Hartz Ave. Le Jardinet, open Wednesday through Friday.
- 267 Hartz Ave. The former Virtue + Vice, waiting for its next tenant.
- Prospect Park Plaza at Hartz and Prospect. This is also check-in for the Chamber's Crawloween on October 28.
- 501 Hartz Ave. at Church Street. Rancho Cantina, with raffle entries open through October 15.
- Front Street near the Library. The Town Green Pavilion and Makers Space work site, at 420 and 282 Front St.
The Town keeps a running list of what's happening each week at danville.ca.gov/fall, where you can also look up stroll details.
The rest of October, mostly on Town calendars
Most of what's on the calendar after the scarecrows comes from the Town, plus one event from the Chamber.
| Date | Event | Where | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 17, 10 a.m.–noon | Howl-o-Ween: For the Dogs | Hap Magee Ranch Park | Costume categories include silliest, most original, best owner-and-dog duo and best impersonation |
| Sat., Oct. 17, 11 a.m. | Magician Brian Scott | Village Theatre | Best for kids in TK through fifth grade |
| Thu., Oct. 22, 4–5:30 p.m. and 6–7:30 p.m. | Spooktacular Celebration | Oak Hill Park Community Center | Ages 1–10, superhero and villain theme, preregistration required, no walk-ins |
| Fri., Oct. 23, 10:30 a.m. | Walk-tober | Osage Station Park | Adults 55 and up, 5K at your own pace, then a BBQ lunch |
| Wed., Oct. 28, 5:30–8:30 p.m. | Crawloween | Check in at Prospect Park Plaza | 21+, 20+ tasting locations, run by the Danville Area Chamber |
| Fri., Oct. 30, 7 p.m. | Halloween Improv Night | Village Theatre | Audience-driven Halloween comedy |
Two scheduling notes. October 17 has two family events back to back: the dog parade at Hap Magee Ranch Park ends at noon, and the magic show at the Village Theatre starts at 11 a.m. You'll have to choose one or split up. And the Spooktacular turns away anyone who hasn't registered, so sign up well before October 22.
One grocery question just south of downtown
Outside the stroll area, Sycamore Square has an empty space of its own. Lucky announced a July 17 closure for its store at 660 San Ramon Valley Blvd. Planning chief David Crompton told commissioners that the property owner's agreement with Whole Foods is still conditional, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle and Bay Area Telegraph. The plan would gut the interior, including the concrete floor, and change the signage and entrance, with EV chargers expected. Crompton estimated about a year of work, but that is an estimate and the deal is not final.
That leaves three places to check on next. One is 267 Hartz and whoever moves in. Another is the fence on Front Street and when it comes down. The third is the former Lucky building and whether the Whole Foods agreement becomes final.
If you're curious what this season's changes on Hartz mean for your own corner of Danville, Gillian Judge Hogan would be glad to talk it over. She follows these blocks closely and is happy to help, whether you're just interested or starting to plan your next move. Work With Gillian.
