Few businesses can stand the test of time like Mountain Charley’s did, surviving for over 50 years and becoming a hallmark of Los Gatos. When a business like Charley’s has made its mark in people’s hearts, beyond its walls on N. Santa Cruz Avenue, is there room for another story? A Second Story? Four young entrepreneurs are taking their shot with a new venue that opened on Dec. 5.
I first meet with Sammer Mitri, 32, part-owner of Second Story. As we sit down, he begins to tell me how he got into the nightclub business.
“I have a master’s in mechanical engineering, but I started businesses while in college at the University of Pacific. I opened an escape room, and also started real estate investing while interning,” Mitri tells me.
“A high-end cocktail lounge?” I proceed. “What makes this one special?”
He tells me it was inspired by Dukes London, “—one of the most famous martini bars in the world. We don’t shake our martinis. We freeze the bottles so that you can pour straight from the bottle and not dilute it with ice. We also serve snacks: mixed nuts, olives, and pickled veggies that are homemade.”
This venue is more than a cocktail lounge. It’s an experience.
After Mountain Charley’s closed, businessman Alex Hult revived the watering hole, first with a dinner theatre concept called Immersive, alongside Donovan Friedman, then as a throwback “Charley’s LG” brand reflecting the ethos of the saloon opened by Jim Farwell and business partner Jack McNamara in 1972.
A Charley’s LG official told the Los Gatan last year Hult decided to sell the business to focus on his other projects, including a restaurant-focused AI start-up.
Next on my interview list: Danny Shafazand, 29, owner of multiple nightclubs and restaurants in the Bay Area. “Any I may know of?” I ask. He replies, “Nova in downtown San Jose and Wild Rose in downtown Campbell. I also worked at what once was across the hall, LGBG, for eight years before their doors closed.”
“What sort of experience do you want customers to have?” I ask. “Upscale. Intimate and personal,” he replies. “I want it to feel like a local bar. Bringing something new to the city that this city would enjoy. I want to get to know people and know their names.” Shafazand finishes by telling me that he started busing tables at 14.
I conclude with Jameson Parvizad and Jamie Garland, 35, who have been friends for 20 years.
Parvizad tells me he first started as a restaurant host at 21 years old at Rosie McCann’s in Santana Row.
“I opened my first nightclub at 30, called LVL 44. Then I opened Water Tower Kitchen in Campbell, in 2018. I have a passion for hospitality. I always saw myself as a host, and wanted people to have a good time.” I ask where this all comes from. “It comes from an upbringing of having a lot of respect for people and always taking care of them,” he says.
Garland tells me she began working in the industry at 17, at Straits in Santana Row. “I started cocktailing and bartending at 21. Then, in 2012, I moved out to Houston to help open Straits there. On top of that, I’ve been a hair stylist since I was 19, and opened my own hair salon in 2016 called B Society, right here in town,” says Garland.
“Where does the name come from?” I ask. They tell me that the name Second Story came from wanting people to get their second story here, after the departure of Mountain Charley’s. Also, a play on words, since it’s on the second story. This remodel is the first major renovation in almost 60 years.
All of the partners have their strengths. Cohesively the four of them work well together. They accept reservations for groups of six or more. They have plans to bring in live music, including R&B acts, finding their way to make their mark.
As I leave, they express they are aware of how important this space is for the community, so their main objective is to welcome this community back again. Hence the name.
