About this business
Food & Beverage
Alameda County
A place with potential
“Getting this project done wouldn’t have happened without Fremont Bank.”
Today, Castro Valley Marketplace is the East Bay’s largest food hall and living up to its motto: Great Food. Good People. True Community.
But today is not where this story starts.
Let’s go back in time to 1965. Fremont Bank was just a year old, and on Castro Valley Boulevard, a grand department store was opening — Daughtrey’s. But time passed and shopping habits changed, leading to the store’s closure in 1991. For the next several decades, the building would be, among other things, a billiards hall and Halloween store.
Yet, Alameda County wanted more for the space — and for the community — and encouraged bids and concepts. The empty building was a blank slate — something just waiting for a great idea.
Enter Donna Layburn. She envisioned Castro Valley Marketplace (CVM). A self-described Earth Mother, Donna cares about the planet and what happens to it. She cares about food — where it comes from and how people access it. Donna cares about the land and the farmers who grow on it. And she cares about how we can all benefit from a deeper connection to our food and one another.
A food hall for the community
Donna bid on the empty building by making the case for a food hall. Far more than a food court, a food hall offers restaurants, shops, and other community features, like an event space. The focus is on locally owned and independent businesses, and creating a community gathering space.
She had brought experience running other retail spaces, including a 19,000-square-foot food hall in Alameda. She competed to make her case to the county by pointing out the rising popularity of food halls across the country and the unique nature of the space. It didn’t hurt that she’s also a former mortgage banker, and her brother is a contractor!
“The building has this odd shape. It’s long and narrow — and 37,000 square feet! That doesn’t work well for just a restaurant. Multiple use was the best adaptation for the reuse of the building.” This allowed not every place to be food-centric without compromising the common thread — bringing people together with intention.
Beyond food stalls and shops, Donna imagined a meeting place for the community. The centrally located building includes an event space that could bring families together, host local nonprofits, and more. A cellar space could feature wine and music. The hope was that as the space thrived, the community would thrive through partnerships with other organizations and businesses.
Finding a funding partner
After being selected, Donna needed to get the finances in order, saying, “Even the best ideas need support. After all, how can you do anything without someone behind you?”
For Donna, part of the struggle was finding funding for the renovation of the entire food hall and separately for the funding of the grocery store — Castro Valley Natural Grocery, which calls CVM home.
A big international bank was willing to finance the reno but not the grocery store, which would be the anchor tenant. “We never could have done it that way,” Donna said. She came to Fremont Bank for the building and grocery store loans, connecting with Alex Cole, Commercial Relationship Manager.
Her vision resonated with Alex: “From my first conversation with Donna, it was immediately clear that she had an incredible vision for what this empty, dark concrete shell could be. When she spoke of a vibrant food hall and marketplace, anchored by her natural grocery store, I knew Fremont Bank needed to be involved with all aspects of the project to make the dream a reality for the community.”
That first connection became a fantastic working relationship. “I felt like I always had Alex’s attention and that he was going to stay interested in making things work in a way that I would never get with a bigger bank.”
Construction began in January 2019 and continued through the year. In April 2020, a truck rolled up filled with furniture, including an antique table, custom pieces and railings from the original Daughtrey’s store to add the finishing touches. Unfortunately, the project was halted by city officials due to COVID. To make matters worse, the truck was stolen as it sat overnight.
Undeterred, Donna continued to work in any way she could to get the space open. In July 2020, Castro Valley Marketplace opened as part of the reopening of essential businesses.
It was truly worth celebrating — Alex attended along with Fremont Bank executives including Don Marek, who led the Commercial Lending Group at the time and is now president, and Gene Anderson, Senior Director of Commercial Underwriting. A proud day for a client is a proud day for the bank (and we know a thing or two about how vital a grand opening is).
Donna shared, “One of the most important things that happened was that Alex was here the whole time. With bigger banks, you get passed around. I didn’t get passed off. Not only that, they were there to celebrate with us!”
We’re not only a banking partner for CVM; we’re happy patrons. Fremont Bank team members enjoy Slice House (which is owned by a Castro Valley local), the grocery store, and the meat market. We share Donna's passion for community. And we didn’t stop with the opening. We continue to partner with CVM.
The latest financing helped to repurpose space in the Marketplace as the tenants that call it home continue to grow and evolve. What was previously co-working office space is being transformed into an event room, and tenant improvements are underway to bring in new restaurants from the local community.
Commitment to community rings through Donna's closing words: “Getting this project done wouldn’t have happened without Fremont Bank. Alameda County chose [Fremont Bank] because they wanted something that would energize the community. We chose a bank rooted in the community.”
