RETAIL RENAISSANCE On The Way to Menlo Park, California With a New Luxury Destination Envisioned as ANSWER to Rodeo Drive by Silicon Valley

A USD 100 million-plus Silicon Valley Mixed Use "Middle Plaza" Retail and Dining Development Led by Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry to Provide the Bay Area's Only "Must Stop" Shopping and Eating Destination

Menlo Park, California (3 March 2023)

In the fall of 2023, Stephen and Jared Silver, owners of Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry, will launch Silicon Valley's most major new luxury shopping and eating destination. Middle Plaza, a 35,000-square-foot property in a prominent site near downtown Menlo Park, California, represents a major progression in the region's luxury experiences and is the first premium development of this size and scope. The Middle Plaza development offers a retail and eating hub in the San Francisco Bay Area, replete with world-class stores, Michelin-starred chefs, and spaces created by renowned architects.

Stephen and Jared Silver and the late visionary real estate magnate John Arrillaga Sr., in collaboration with Stanford University, aimed to radically transform the local community by establishing a new cultural hub featuring high-end shopping, dining, and art in the heart of the world's leading technology companies and venture capital firms.

While this $100+ million complex is named "Middle Plaza," the zip codes it serves are anything from average and frequently rank among the wealthiest in the country. According to NBC Bay Area KNTV Channel 11, over 50 percent of the 100 most expensive zip codes in the United States are situated in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Stephen Silver, CEO and Chairman of Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry, explains, "In 2018, John (Arrillaga), Jared, and I agreed that the Middle Plaza development should meet the local community's need for a new gathering space and destination that remains locally rooted yet rivals the world's greatest shopping cities."

"Middle Plaza is the next stage in the development and expansion of Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry," says Jared Silver. "With the assistance of our brand and local project partners, we will establish a new benchmark for immersive luxury shopping and dining in the Bay Area."

To help him realise his idea, Jared Silver enlisted Jon de la Cruz, a renowned interior architect from the Bay Area, to create distinct experiences on each level of the three-story complex. The ground floor will feature six to seven mono-brand boutiques, including one dedicated to Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry and others to partners, including a new BVLGARI boutique concept, and several of Switzerland's most exotic watchmakers, including MB&F, H. Moser & Cie., Roger Dubuis, and additional brands to be announced shortly.

The second level will have a 4,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor apartment-styled showroom with a world-class collection of watch and jewellery partners, including MESSIKA, Hermes, Urwerk, Greubel Forsey, Laurent Ferrier, Bovet, Ressence, Louis Erard, Arnold & Son, and many more. On the top level of the third story of this stately townhouse-style structure, Stephen Silver's premium jewellery salon and their new corporate offices will be located.

Middle Plaza will also be home to several eating establishments, including restaurateur Ayesha Thapar's highly awaited sequel to her Michelin-recognized Cal-Indian fusion Palo Alto restaurant named Ettan, dubbed Eylan.

Betsy Nash, former mayor and current city council member of Menlo Park, notes,

"The city of Menlo Park is eagerly anticipating the launch of Middle Plaza. Its new residents, workplaces, and businesses, such as Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry, as well as Ayesha Tharpar's new Indian restaurant, will be exciting additions and a new hub of activity in our city."

Ayesha Thapar: "We are thrilled to bring to life our new restaurant concept in Middle Plaza, which promises to become a neighbourhood icon." El Camino is seeing a total revitalization as a result of initiatives such as this one, which are bringing new and interesting eating and shopping alternatives to Menlo Park.

Jon de la Cruz: "The locations where you buy and dine should be as opulent as the items and cuisine you acquire. Working with the Silvers to develop this setting gives shopping in Menlo Park a fresh vibe. Being natives of San Francisco, we tried to ensure that the Bay Area's personality complements this new upmarket retail space, therefore making it both opulent and local."

This once-in-a-lifetime project, scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2023, is only the most recent milestone in the development of the family-owned business, led by Stephen and Jared Silver. Stephen has been a driving force in the jewellery industry for more than 45 years, purchasing, selling, making, and trading the rarest and most valuable jewels and gemstones. Jared Silver, the company's president, oversaw the establishment of the company's retail section in 2014 and positioned Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry as one of the world's top retailers of luxury independent timepieces and fine jewellery.

About Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry 

There are few finer jewellery and watch boutiques in the United States than Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry. Offering access to the world's rarest jewellery, diamonds, and coloured gemstones as well as highly collectible timepieces from leading brands and independent watchmakers, the Silicon Valley-based company has been helping clients build and steward their collections for generations for more than 45 years.The Silver family's unparalleled knowledge of gemology and ultra-rare jewellery has allowed them to acquire a number of historically significant items, such as the famed Cullinan Blue Diamond necklace, which Stephen Silver donated to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History permanent collection, and the record-breaking 14.93 carat Pink Promise Diamond, which was boldly recut by the Silvers and sold for a record price per carat. The firm, which is still run by Jared and Stephen Silver, was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area and has since grown into a vertically integrated wholesale and retail enterprise with a global reputation for its discerning curation, unique designs, and cutting-edge use of technology. Go to shsilver.com if you want to know more.