{"id":6789,"date":"2026-08-14T15:37:46","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T15:37:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6789"},"modified":"2026-08-14T15:37:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T15:37:46","slug":"how-john-luk-put-asian-shopping-malls-on-the-map-in-the-bay-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6789","title":{"rendered":"How John Luk put Asian shopping malls on the map in the Bay Area"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Perhaps no one has done more to bring Asian shopping centers to communities across the Bay Area than John Luk.<\/p>\n

Read more High school football 2026 preview: DAL Foothill Division<\/a><\/p>\n

Luk launched his career in commercial real estate years after arriving in the South Bay from Hong Kong for a career in nursing. But noticing the lack of Asian grocery stores and banquet halls as demographics shifted in the South Bay, he formed a partnership in 1993 to open Milpitas Square, one of the Bay Area\u2019s first large Asian-themed shopping malls, with around 60 retail shops and restaurants.<\/p>\n

Since then, Luk\u2019s firm, GD Commercial Real Estate, has been involved with developing, leasing and managing more than a dozen shopping centers in Santa Clara and Alameda counties, including Lion Plaza in San Jose and Pacific Pearl Shopping Center in Pleasanton.<\/p>\n

Over a lunch of lobster egg noodles and pork spare ribs at the Mayflower Seafood Restaurant in Milpitas Square, Luk shared his unlikely career path, the strategies behind his success and what he believes his shopping centers mean to the Bay Area\u2019s Asian communities.<\/p>\n

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n

Q <\/strong>What brought you from Hong Kong to the Bay Area?<\/p>\n

A<\/strong> I graduated from high school at 17 and went into nursing in Hong Kong. I worked in government hospitals and quickly took on leadership roles. That background gave me the legitimacy to apply for a U.S. visa.<\/p>\n

I came from Hong Kong in 1975, at age 26. I worked in the emergency room at Kaiser in Santa Clara. When they interviewed me, they asked, \u201cCan you handle the emergency room? English isn\u2019t your first language.\u201d I told them, \u201cYou can test me on the night shift.\u201d Within two years, I became head nurse. I was determined to succeed. That attitude has stayed with me\u2014in nursing and in real estate.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Q <\/strong>How did you make the leap into commercial real estate?<\/p>\n

A<\/strong> I was living in Milpitas more than 40 years ago. I watched my neighborhood change \u2014 more and more Asian residents \u2014 but there was no place to hang out, no family gathering place and no good Asian grocery stores.<\/p>\n

Then I noticed the Milpitas Square location: It\u2019s at the intersection of highways 880 and 237, only a few miles from Sunnyvale, close to North San Jose, near large Asian populations \u2014 Filipino, Vietnamese, Chinese. But we were missing a good Asian supermarket and a proper center to serve them.<\/p>\n

I could see the demographic shift. Asians were becoming the majority.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Q <\/strong>How did you get Milpitas Square off the ground?<\/p>\n

A<\/strong> We started around 1993, basically from ground zero. I began marketing it myself. It wasn\u2019t easy. I brought in Ranch 99 from L.A. and put together my own partnership for this center. We invested about $3 million. Even 30 years ago, that was a lot of money. I opened it myself with that partnership. Without a good team, the center would have looked very different.<\/p>\n

Back then, there weren\u2019t many Asian grocery options. Now, of course, there are many Asian supermarkets and grocery stores everywhere.<\/p>\n

Once we were locked in the supermarket, I formed a partnership to open the restaurant. There were no banquet facilities locally \u2014 people had to go to San Francisco. Now it\u2019s the opposite: People from San Francisco come down here because it\u2019s cleaner, more professional, with better parking. We now have more than 30 Asian restaurants at the mall. People have choices.<\/p>\n

Q <\/strong>What did you do next? What other malls did you help open?<\/p>\n

A<\/strong> After Milpitas, I went to Fremont \u2014 Warm Springs and Mission \u2014 and did a 96,000\u2011square\u2011foot commercial condo project with Marina Food as anchor. Then I added a Ranch 99 at the corner. I also worked on an older mall in Newark, about 50 years old, and helped renovate and re\u2011tenant it, bringing it to a more professional level with the right mix.<\/p>\n

For most of the major Asian malls in the Bay Area, I\u2019ve left a footprint. I try to do things professionally: bring in corporate tenants, dress up the restaurants and make sure the center feels high-quality.<\/p>\n

Read more High school football 2026 preview: DAL Valley Division<\/a><\/p>\n

Q<\/strong> How do you evaluate a potential tenant?<\/p>\n

A<\/strong> I always deal with the decision\u2011maker and often try their food at their existing locations \u2014 Milpitas, Cupertino, wherever. I ask whether they want to come to an Asian mall and whether they\u2019re willing to take a larger space for a banquet hall or a smaller one for a casual eatery. I\u2019m persistent, but I\u2019m also very careful in choosing anchors.<\/p>\n

The supermarket and the banquet restaurant are the key anchors. Once you have those, you can build everything else around them.<\/p>\n

Q <\/strong>What\u2019s next for you? Do you have plans for new malls or expansions?<\/p>\n

A<\/strong> It\u2019s about finding the right strategic locations and owners who understand my philosophy. The Milpitas Square mall, for example, was originally zoned for auto uses. The developer asked, \u201cShould we build an auto mall?\u201d I told him, \u201cNo. There\u2019s already a big auto mall coming to Fremont. That won\u2019t work here. Let\u2019s create an Asian avenue instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

He trusted me, and I performed. I immediately connected with Ranch 99 and got the banquet restaurant going \u2014 two major anchors.<\/p>\n

Q <\/strong>Asian restaurants and grocery stores have become more popular with non\u2011Asian customers, too. Is this something you\u2019ve noticed?<\/p>\n

A<\/strong> Yes. Look at boba tea shops. It\u2019s not just Chinese or Asian customers \u2014 there are many Caucasians, everyone. It\u2019s trendy. In this center, we already have four boba places. Because of my vision and persistence in executing it, I\u2019ve helped change the dynamic of how Asian malls can be viable and attractive \u2014 not just to Asians, but to everyone.<\/p>\n

Q <\/strong>What inspired you to focus not just on Chinese malls, but malls for all Asian communities?<\/p>\n

A<\/strong> The success of places like Milpitas Square and the Fremont projects made people seek me out \u2014 Fremont, Cupertino, Richmond. They\u2019d say, \u201cCome over, help us revitalize this mall.\u201d When you do it right, you attract the whole community.<\/p>\n

Q <\/strong>What do you think it means for Asian communities to have places like Milpitas Square?<\/p>\n

A<\/strong> It gives them a sense of ownership and pride. People feel proud to hold a banquet here, to bring family and friends. Especially for Asians \u2014 Chinese, Filipinos, later Vietnamese \u2014 30 or 40 years ago they had to go to San Francisco for groceries and banquets. Now they don\u2019t. With such strong demographics in the South Bay, how can you not build an Asian mall?<\/p>\n

John Luk Profile<\/strong><\/p>\n

Age: 75
\nBirthplace: Macau, China
\nCity of residence: San Jose
\nEducation: Associate Degree in Nursing, Evergreen Valley College<\/p>\n

5 things about John Luk<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Luk was the head of a private psychiatric facility in San Jose
\n2. He also became the head nurse of the emergency room at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Clara
\n3. He is a volunteer at Bay Area Chrysamthemum Growers Association
\n4. He was a planning commissioner for the city of Milpitas
\n5. He learned about baseball and football from a friend who took him to games and patiently explained every play<\/p>\n

Read more IBM Research Center in San Jose might land updated city-crafted zoning<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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