“Working In The City” is The San Diego Sun’s feature Q&A series with downtown San Diego business operators. It’s a way to get to know the city by meeting the people who work here. This is the sixth in an ongoing series.
Company: Quartyard (1301 Market Street, East Village)
Owner/Manager: Justin Navalle
What we do: Quartyard is home to an eatery, full-service beer garden, event venue, urban art gallery and coffee shop. We play host to a number of cultural events, outdoor concerts, private events, street markets and community activities.
Specialty: Quartyard’s utilization of sustainable and innovative design offers guests a unique outdoor experience. We create space that connects. San Diego’s creative ecosystem is so diverse and talented. We love being the place where that’s showcased.
Anniversary: 10 Years in April 2025!
Employees: 15+
Staffing: Thankfully, we have a very low turnover at our business.
Motto: Deliver excellence in leisure.
Commute: I’ve lived all over San Diego for 20 years – East Village, downtown, Hillcrest, College Area, and now reside in Normal Heights. It’s a 12-minute drive or 25-minute bike ride down Park Boulevard.
Best aspects of working in East Village: There’s a special energy that comes from the small businesses in East Village. On a daily basis, I experience a unique balance of beauty and grit, and it inspires me to keep creating. I get my haircut at Tailored Hair, I exercise at THE BXNG CLUB, and I love a curry pan from ASA Bakery or a slice of pizza from TNT Pizza. They’re really good people, doing some really cool things.
Worst aspect of working in East Village: There is not really a worse aspect, but I’d love to see more people walking around and enjoying the brick-and-mortar businesses.
Parking: On high volume days parking can be a challenge. I’m usually able to find a spot within four blocks. Biking, walking and rideshares are great options, too.
Most surprising part of working downtown: East Village is home to a lot of local businesses and it’s the largest neighborhood in San Diego County.
Funniest downtown work memory: Comedian Felipe Esparza performed two nights of sold-out shows back when the city was only allowing outdoor events with socially distanced tables. He was hilarious, and it was a great welcome back for people who hadn’t been to a live event in a long time.
Big-event boosts: Yes and no. Historically, Padres home games don’t make us busy. With Comic-Con, we’ve done some pop-up activations with brands like Stranger Things, Rick & Morty, and Nike. We program our space with diverse entertainment offerings to bring in guests.
Homelessness: It affects all businesses in East Village. Our perspective is that this challenge is something out of our control, and our team tries to focus on things within our control.
On a scale of 1 (easiest) to 10 (hardest), how is working with the city: 8. Overall, It has been a positive experience. We work with the San Diego special events department to close streets for the annual East Village Oktoberfest. Our property is a public-private partnership with the city of San Diego.
How can the city be more business friendly: Safety, lighting and motion.
Celebrities sightings: We host international talent on a monthly basis. One of my personal favorite recent guests was UFC legend Nate Diaz. He came over for drinks on a weeknight after his workout at The BXING Club.
If your business was made into a movie, it would be called: Quartyard, The Musical!, starring Donald Glover.
Pets/mascot?: We love dogs and there are a few who have a special place in our hearts. Shout out to Cali, Maya, Rufus and JJ!
Regular customers: We want to mention some people that make Quartyard a better place: Michael Williams, Paul and Lynne Bolton, Blake Dye, Ms. Sharon and the Seahorse Coffee team, to name a few.
Favorite downtown business(es) that aren’t yours: There are so many–The BXNG Club East Village, Tailored Hair, TNT Pizza, Bub’s, The Hub, Tacos El Gordo, The San Diego Library, ASA Bakery, Seahorse Coffee, Shelton Cleaners, FeeLit Records, Cowboy Star…
Best insider tip for running a downtown SD business: Keep an exercise schedule (sauna is great, too), and take time to be out of downtown to reset. When running a business we tend to develop a hyper focus on just that. We can forget to get outside of our head. Burnout makes it more difficult to enjoy the process. SDSun
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