For decades — possibly ever since the train station on Cahill Street in San Jose opened in 1935 — there’s been a newsstand to provide commuters with a cup of coffee, a quick snack and, even today, a newspaper. But that won’t be the case after Tuesday when McCarthy’s Newsstand at the Diridon Transit Center closes its doors.
The small stand, tucked away in a corner of the historic train station, has been on a month-to-month lease for the past few years. Anne Zingale, who took over the business from the McCarthy family in 2022, said she was notified last month that the lease was coming to an end. A one-woman show these days, the stand will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, with a couple hours off for lunch.
“They just said times were changing,” Zingale said. “This seems like such an important part of this space, and I think we’ve been a huge benefit to the station. I’m not happy about it, but it’s not my decision.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, passenger business cratered but had been coming back, though not quite at a level of the days when thousands of people would flow through the 90-year-old downtown station during the morning and evening commutes to get on Caltrain, ACE or VTA.
Of course, the newsstand business has changed dramatically over the years, too. The McCarthy family, which had operated stands in Oakland and Los Angeles, took over the San Jose newsstand in 1971. They finally got out of the business in 2022, but Zingale kept the name.
The stand once had more food offerings and was known for its popcorn in recent years. It also once sold travelers paperback books, magazines and more than a few newspapers. A Mercury News article in 1993 noted that the stand’s manager at the time was planning to order copies of the Kansas City newspaper for those Joe Montana fans who were eager for news about the quarterback after he left the 49ers.
“This is childhood memories to me,” said Gabriel Gadzikowski, a Sunnyvale resident who works as a volunteer station host and was grabbing a vanilla mocha latte Monday morning. “I’ve enjoyed seeing people come and go from this place.”
Those days are gone, as are the comfy stools outside the newsstand’s service window. Today, it’s more of a snack shack, selling sodas, candy and coffee to commuters, as well as train-themed T-shirts and toys and travel games to keep kids occupied. A surprising big seller are the collectible train station and railroad enamel pins, which Zingale says she may continue to sell online.
Zingale also serves as an unofficial concierge for the station, providing travelers with directions or help with train schedules when station employees aren’t around, especially early in the morning.
With the potential for BART and high-speed rail trains to one day join Amtrak, Caltrain, ACE and VTA at Diridon Station, Zingale said San Jose deserves to be a big transportation hub. She’s seen the renderings and attended meetings for new, bigger versions of the station. “They want to redesign the whole train station,” she said. “We’re just not being invited along.”
A Caltrain spokesperson said the agency needs to do a site visit and review the condition of the space before it determines a path forward, which could include finding a new tenant.
STREET SMARTS NEEDED: Santa Clara Street is easily downtown San Jose’s most vital roadway, but the city of San Jose has started a “reimagining” process to make improvements for transit, pedestrians and businesses and transform it into a “grand boulevard.”
The planning process is underway, and there’s an in-person session at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at City Hall Wing Rooms 118-119, where city transportation staff members will show their design concepts and get feedback. This is just part of what will probably be a long process, but you can get more information — and take a survey — at bit.ly/santa-clara-st-project.
ANOTHER ‘SYM-FUNNY’: It was another fun and festive weekend with Symphony San Jose’s “Holiday Spectacular” at the California Theatre, featuring not just the symphony but the Symphony San Jose Chorale, the Cantabile Youth Chorus, dancers from New Ballet San Jose and vocal soloists Stephanie Jae Park and Chris Blem.
Inflatable dinosaurs, faux jewel thieves and a Pope Leo XIV impersonator were among the wild presenters for the “12 Days of Silicon Valley,” a topical parody performed at Symphony San Jose’s “Holiday Spectacular” at the California Theatre on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)Conductor Elena Sharkova had some delightful banter with the audience as she led them in sing-alongs but had to pace herself as the holiday show expanded to three performances for the first time. She did get a breather, though, as Symphony San Jose board member Jim Hoover took the baton to conduct “Sleigh Ride” on Saturday night. Hoover, wearing a Santa hat and holiday-themed green suit, actually paid for the privilege, having placed the winning bid on the opportunity at the symphony’s season-opening event in October.