The Caribbees Center occupies a long strip of buildings on Senter Road, situated between the fairgrounds and Andrew Hill High School and beside mobile home parks. The complex hosts an almost entirely Vietnamese array of retailers including a supermarket, laundromat, hair salons, clothing, mattresses, herbs, and appliance sellers. Delivery workers and customers animate the space, with motorized bicycles and steady arrivals and departures. The center emits an energetic, colorful, chaotic commerce reminiscent of Southeast Asian markets and contrasts with more sanitized suburban retail. The atmosphere challenges negative online reviews and reveals overlooked everyday community life in suburban San Jose.
Pulled along by the forces of suburban wasteland exploration, I recently reacquainted myself with the ancient-for-San Jose Caribbees Center. Located between the fairgrounds and Andrew Hill High School and adjacent to a few sprawling mobile home parks left over from the '60s, Caribbees Center-with or without an apostrophe-unfolded as a long bustling strip of shops across a few different buildings, almost entirely Vietnamese.
In that sense, I felt grateful to be there. Much more interesting than the Grand Century Mall, Caribbees Center was a thriving, beautifully congested mess of commerce with a flavor of colorful chaos reminding me of many places I found throughout Southeast Asia. Don't believe the negative Yelp reviews. It was quite fun to walk around such a place. The whole complex seemed more "vibrant" than anything in downtown San Jose.
As I took in angelic Vietnamese synthpop blasting out of the corner unit, I looked around and saw retailers selling mattresses, herbs, clocks, fabrics, massage chairs, pressure cookers, fans and various items. Colorful dresses and other clothing were displayed outside several stores. People and cars arrived and departed. Delivery workers rode up on motorized bicycles to grab fast food from a place I couldn't pronounce.
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