A creative hybrid of a sit-down restaurant and a lunch counter, its interior might look more at home in San FranciscoвЂ™s SoMa district than in a 1950s-era suburban shopping mall. No business exemplifies the new Town & Country better than Calafia Cafe and Market a Go Go, a project of former Google executive chef Charlie Ayers.

вЂњItвЂ™s a nice place to walk around.вЂќ Even more so, she said, because the upgrades have not sacrificed the centerвЂ™s original down-home charm. вЂњI really like it here now,вЂќ Jemison said. These days, her trips to the shopping center usually involve a stroll across the grounds to PeetвЂ™s Coffee and Books Inc., which recently relocated from Stanford Shopping Center. вЂњTo be honest, I didnвЂ™t come here a lot.вЂќД«ut as Jemison became a regular at Day One, she noticed gradual improvements in Town & CountryвЂ™s landscaping and parking, and other new store openings grabbed her attention. вЂњWhen I moved here a few years ago, it looked dark and unappealing,вЂќ Jemison said of Town & Country. One of the first of Town & CountryвЂ™s new wave of businesses, it has helped attract younger customers such as Trish Jemison, who stopped by to check out the newly opened Mayfield Bakery and Cafe last Friday. The complaints dropped off, however, once the restaurant was replaced by Day One, an all-in-one resource center for new and expecting parents. вЂњIt was our first dive into trying to reposition the center, and the community was suspicious of what we were up to.вЂќ вЂњI regret the way it was handled,вЂќ he admitted Friday. The rejuvenation effort got off to a bumpy start, as longtime patrons revolted when Ellis terminated the month-to-month lease of the popular Cook Book Restaurant in 2005. вЂњIn retailing, itвЂ™s really hard to achieve sustainable sales when your demographic has an average age that high.вЂќ Market studies showed the average Town & Country visitor was in his mid-fifties, Ellis said. Younger shoppers in particular were staying away. But there really wasnвЂ™t anything else there that was drawing people to the center.вЂќ вЂњYou could get your shoes fixed at the cobbler, go to the cleaners, go to the dentist. вЂњWhen I first bought it I think Town & Country was known to the community as being a convenient place for your daily needs,вЂќ Ellis said. So he set about a more modest rehabilitation project that was more about the centerвЂ™s stodgy reputation than the buildings themselves. There was talk of scrapping the center and starting from scratch, but Ellis was told by residents and officials that it wouldnвЂ™t fly politically. Many of the tenants were kind of on their last strings, barely able to make enough sales to pay their rent each month.вЂќ вЂњSales had fallen precipitously over the previous decade. вЂњWe came along and purchased what was basically a pretty run-down center,вЂќ said Jim Ellis. Already, itвЂ™s drawing praise from business owners and shoppers who appreciate the unusual blend of cutting-edge stores and nostalgic architecture. The makeover, which began shortly after Ellis bought the property from the family of original owner Ron Williams in 2004, will culminate this fall with the opening of Palo AltoвЂ™s first Trader JoeвЂ™s grocery. ItвЂ™s the result of a $30 million renovation by Ellis Partners, the San Francisco-based developer behind OaklandвЂ™s revamped Jack London Square. LaBelle Day Spa re-opened in February boasting вЂњeco-friendlyвЂќ features like energy-efficient lights, low-VOC paints and floors, and biodegradable marketing materials printed with soy inks. LuluвЂ™s, a Mexican restaurant that opened Monday, uses only fresh, locally sourced produce and antibiotic- and hormone-free meat.

In between, the few remaining vacant storefronts sport вЂњcoming soonвЂќ signs for zeitgeist-tapping concepts such as Snip-its, a childrenвЂ™s hair-cutting salon that intersperses video games with barber stools.ДЄmong the new additions are several that embody the retail and restaurant industriesвЂ™ latest trends. At the other, young mothers line up at for artisan confections at KaraвЂ™s Cupcakes, which opened in September.

At one end, wealthy tech workers wait for a table at a new cafe opened in January by celebrity ex-Google chef Charlie Ayers. Look closer, though - or try to find a parking spot at lunchtime - and it becomes clear this quaint landmark is in the midst of a renaissance. And while they have loyal followings, decades-old specialty shops such as the Coin Broker and the Village Cobbler donвЂ™t project the most vibrant image to passersby.

Innovative when it opened in 1953, its ranch-style layout of low-slung wood buildings flanked by rows of parking spaces is a relic today. Palo AltoвЂ™s Town & Country shopping center sheds stodgy image with new restaurants, stores вЂ“ The Mercury News Close MenuДЇrom afar, Palo AltoвЂ™s Town & Country Village might look like the type of fading, outmoded shopping center that would struggle to survive an economic recession.

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