Downtown Los Altos holds its last four outdoor events of the season within eight days at the end of October. Most of the closing schedule happens on State Street. One building helps fund it, outlasts every event on the calendar, and keeps that block busy after the vendor tents are packed away for winter.
That building is State Street Market. The outdoor season is almost over, the city's proposed downtown park is still years away, and a new bakery is getting ready to open inside. For now, the food hall at 170 State St. is the reason this block stays a gathering place once the calendar goes quiet.
The Closing Dates
The Los Altos Village Association has published the full end-of-season schedule. In order:
- Thursday, October 8, 4 to 8 p.m. The Downtown Los Altos Farmers' Market on State Street, with live music from Evan Fahey and wine by the glass from Wine & Barrel, Co.
- Friday, October 23, 6 to 9 p.m. The Witches & Warlocks Wine Stroll, with tastings from 19 wineries and music from eight bands.
- Sunday, October 25, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The last HEAD WEST Marketplace of the season, a curated market of local makers, crafters, designers and artists on State Street between Second and Fourth streets.
- Thursday, October 29. The last farmers' market of the season, held as a Fall Fest. LAVA lists a pumpkin-weight guessing game, a treat for children who come in costume, and a decorating contest for vendor booths.
- Friday, October 30. A BOO-tiful Downtown Halloween. Children's trick-or-treating starts at noon, and games and activities run from 2 to 4 p.m. at Veterans Community Plaza.
If you're planning around the farmers' market, check the hours first. A spring Los Altos Town Crier preview listed the market as running 4 to 9 p.m. through October 15. LAVA's current listing, posted October 2, says 4 to 8 p.m. through October 29. The later listing is the one to follow. It also means that some Thursday you'd assumed was off the calendar is still a market night.
The Sponsor Behind the Tents
The organizer and sponsor lines on each listing show how this block works. The farmers' market is presented by LAVA and the Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association. Its sponsors are State Street Market, the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation and the City of Los Altos. HEAD WEST is presented by LAVA and has one sponsor, State Street Market.
So the business that sits on the block also helps pay for the crowds that fill it. That matters most when an event ends. Every event on the closing schedule wraps up while the food hall is still open, according to its posted hours.
| Event | Ends | State Street Market closes |
|---|---|---|
| Farmers' Market, Thursdays | 8 p.m. | 9 p.m. |
| Wine Stroll, Friday Oct. 23 | 9 p.m. | 10 p.m. |
| HEAD WEST, Sunday Oct. 25 | 5 p.m. | 8 p.m. |
| Fall Fest, Thursday Oct. 29 | 8 p.m. | 9 p.m. |
| Halloween games, Friday Oct. 30 | 4 p.m. | 10 p.m. |
The market says individual vendor hours may vary, so the hall's closing time won't always match a particular counter's. Even so, on every date above there's at least an hour of open dining room after the outdoor event ends.
What's Inside the Hall Now
State Street Market's current vendor pages list Orenchi Ramen and Orenchi Sushi, Konjoe Burger and Konjoe Eatery, Little Blue Door, Little Sky Bakery, The Good Salad, The Penny Ice Creamery, and Laughing Monk Brewing.
Two of those names are recent changes. Laughing Monk Brewing took over the space that used to be Murdoch's and soft-opened on March 6. The Town Crier described it as a drinks-focused bar. On a Wine Stroll night, that gives the hall a bar for after the tastings end at 9 p.m.
The other change is a new name on a familiar counter. In mid-May, Miko's CALiTALIA became Konjoe Eatery. Owner Joey Camacho called it an extension of the Konjoe brand, and the two Konjoe stalls operate separately.
The Bakery Still on Its Way
The hall's posted hours start at 11 a.m. every day. The next tenant would change that. Coffeebar is building a cafe at 170 State St. with breakfast and lunch on the menu, along with coffee, tea, pastries and savory baked goods.
The Los Altos shop is meant to be more than a counter. Founder and CEO Greg Buchheister told the Town Crier that the layout puts a baking production center near the front of the store. That kitchen will also supply baked goods to the Menlo Park, Sunnyvale and Redwood City stores. It will be Coffeebar's fourth Bay Area location and the chain's 11th store overall. According to Buchheister, the most popular items are the cappuccino, matcha latte, breakfast burrito and avocado toast. He's especially proud of the house chai concentrate, made from real herbs, tea and spices.
He also described the seating plan:
"You queue up right in front of all the pastries and get your coffee. We're going to have a whole other patio area that's seating, and one of the nice things about Los Altos is that it's really nice all the time. Sitting outside is part of the fun."
He pointed to the company's Menlo Park store, which opened in 2018, as an example of what he hopes for here. He said people "came out of nowhere" there, and it became "this hub for people to gather and see each other." The company began in Truckee in 2010.
As of early October, it hasn't opened, and the expected date has moved several times. Buchheister told the Town Crier that construction delays pushed the opening from summer to fall, with a target of the end of September. On September 15, The Almanac listed it as opening in early October. Coffeebar's own locations page still lists "Los Altos Bakery" as "Coming September 2026." It could open during the last week of the season or after it. Either way, it would give State Street a morning business once the Thursday tents are gone.
The Park That Isn't Ready Yet
The city is planning a longer-term gathering space nearby. The Downtown Park proposal covers downtown Parking Plazas 1, 2 and 3. The project site says the park would replace the surface parking lot along Plaza South while the city rethinks parking.
At a July 10 community meeting, the city collected feedback on five revised concepts. Options included lawn, shaded gathering areas, outdoor dining, play space and public restrooms. Feedback was being taken through September. The assistant to the city manager said the goal was to "support our unique and charming downtown."
That timeline is long. The project site says no construction start date has been set, and it gives a conservative estimate of four or more years for design and possible construction. So for at least the next few winters, the outdoor season will end on October 30, and the covered space on State Street will be the food hall at 170 State St., with a bakery patio on the way.
If you're curious how small businesses and public spaces like these shape a downtown block, or you'd like to talk through what's planned for the parking plazas, Dana Rae Stone is happy to have that conversation, maybe over coffee on State Street once the new cafe opens.
