For the past several years, one of the most visibly blight-ish commercial properties in town happened to be at one of the most prominent gateways to our community. Proposals for the space languished for a variety of reasons, including being the subject of neighbor protests over the City’s approval of removing non-heritage trees, the rejection of an appeal of that decision and, of course, the extreme uncertainty of the pandemic rollercoaster starting in early 2020.

That weight has been lifted.

The remnants of those years were erased this week as MIXT (previously Mixt Greens) CEO and co-founder Leslie Silverglide debuted a gleaming, gorgeous space, both inside and out, at 590 East Blithedale. After a Friends & Family celebration this week, MIXT, a popular, fast-casual restaurant that specializes in both build-your-own and made-to-order salads, as well as grain bowls and sandwiches sourced from local, organic and sustainable ingredients, makes its official debut on Thursday, July 21, with in-person, online and delivery options available.

“What we we really wanted to create was blending in with the natural environment and keep everything white and green and so it felt it really fresh and airy,” Silverglide says, noting that they’re deploying gorgeous tiles from Mill Valley resident Eric Edelson’s Fireclay Tile. “And we’ve hired this really phenomenal team, a lot of who are local here in Marin.”

“This space is a bit bigger than most of our other spaces, and it allowed us to spread our wings a bit and add new elements like the beautiful digital menus, outdoor seating, bike racks and more,” Silverglide adds. “

The Mill Valley debut of MIXT not only showcases the restoration of one of Mill Valley’s gateways, but it also serves as a mark of Leslie and David Silverglide’s perseverance, as the Mill Valley opening completes a journey that dates back to 2005.

“Pretty much since we started and opened our first location in San Francisco, we’ve wanted to come into Mill Valley, and have been looking there for more than 15 years,” Leslie Silverglide says. “We have a very deep passion for health and wellness and environmental sustainability, which is something we share with Mill Valley. That excites us so much. We have a lot in common around eating well, health and wellness and creating community.” 

The company has long had its eye on the corner of Camino Alto and 590 East Blithedale Ave., the former home of Gira Polli, and a Der Wienerschnitzel and Burger Chef before that. 

MIXT was initially beaten to the punch by La Boulangerie, Pascal Rigo’s slightly renamed, beloved French patisserie that had grown to 23 La Boulange locations when Rigo sold it to Starbucks in 2013 for $100 million. That project eventually morphed into Apizza, which Rigo debuted in San Francisco a few years ago. They later abandoned the project. The MIXT team had paused its Mill Valley pursuit for a bit, but when a friend forwarded Silverglide a southern Marin moms’ group text thread she was on about how they could get MIXT to open nearby, that kicked things back into high gear. 

“At that point it was just, ‘let’s do this,” Silverglide says.

Despite deploying cones to block off the property, rubberneckers started popping onto the property early and often long after the MIXT team began renovating the building months to express their excitement and inquire about an opening date. “People have been incredibly excited to have us here so far,” she says.

A Grand Opening celebration is set for July 28, 11am-3pm.

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