Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Best Florist: Citti's owner Adrianna Citti Glascott has been running this successful family business for the past 20 years.
Best of Campbell 2002: Goods & Services
Readers were eager to share their favorites in this category, giving the newspaper plenty of nominees for a range of goods and services. And they told us that what's great about this city is that everyone who provides goods and services does so with a smile. "Service" isn't just a word--it's a commitment for everyone who works in local stores, be it a grocery store or a hair salon. The winners reflect both what Campbellites like and what they have come to expect.
Best Grocery Store
Safeway
Grocery shoppers may think that if they've seen one Safeway store, they've seen them all. But if so, then they haven't been to Campbell's Safeway.
Campbell's store includes not only the typical flower shop and pharmacy, but also a Chinese food deli called China Express, where customers can pick up a hot meal to go. But what really sets Safeway apart, says Assistant Manager Peter Liu, is its customer service.
"All our competitors have the same [products,]" he says. "[But] service is the main thing. We do have a training program, and it's not an option."
The store has been around for about 10 to 15 years, Liu says, and is attractive to a wide cross-section of people. Almost everyone can find what they want at Safeway.
Safeway, 2341 Winchester Blvd. 408.364.6880
Best Bakery
Tie: Le Boulanger - Whole Foods Market
Campbellites love their bread and pastries, and two great bakeries offer many options to feed their cravings.
The Pruneyard's Le Boulanger, like all the other 17 locations of the chain bakery, offers breads and pastries made every day on-site, says Le Boulanger Director of Retail Operations and Marketing Ray Montalvo. A baker arrives at the Campbell store every day at 2 a.m. and gets everything prepared for opening, staying until 10 or 11 a.m., until everything is done, Montalvo says.
Le Boulanger features its famous sourdough bread, but also makes artisan breads that require extra attention and its popular nine-grain sliced sandwich bread. Customers also enjoy the store's wide variety of pastries, including danish, muffins, croissants and cookies.
Whole Foods Market also makes its own breads and pastries, says Bakery Assistant Manager Cindy Jaramillo, who comes in at 4:30 a.m. to get things ready for opening at 7:30 a.m. She says its frangipani tarts--seasonal fruit over a butter-sugar-almond paste--and apple cranberry galette are particularly popular, as are its carrot cake and traditional cookies.
In addition to its own bread baked at its site, Whole Foods also carries bread and pastries from a variety of other bakeries, as well as those baked at the Whole Foods bakery house in San Francisco.
Le Boulanger, 1875 S. Bascom Ave., at The Pruneyard, 408.369.1820
Whole Foods Market, 1690 S. Bascom Ave., 408.371.5000
Best Recycled Clothing
Goodwill
People who shop at the Campbell Goodwill store rate it as the best for recycled clothing in the area, and with good reason. Money spent in the store buys a lot for less and all proceeds go toward vocational training and job skills at the Institute of Career Development. According to Steve Spivak, director of public affairs for Goodwill, the generosity of Campbell residents resulted in training for more than 1,000 people with disabilities last year.
A majority of the store space is devoted to used clothing--for men, women and children. People can shop at Goodwill for a range of clothing items, from active wear to a designer prom dress. Prices vary according to the label and condition of the item. Outerwear ranges from $2.99 to $6.99, blazers or jackets from $6.99 to $14.99 and designer fashions from $19.99 to $49.99. Frequent sales throughout the store offer customers lower than usual prices. A management special every Wednesday throughout April offers an additional 50 percent reduction in clothing prices.
Frequent clothing donations make it possible for Goodwill to reuse, resell and recycle items.
Goodwill, 60 S. San Tomas Aquino Road, 408.374.0682
Photograph by Douglas Rider
Best Boutique: Susy Carter, owner of Tarlow's Furs, says her boutique is not just a fur shop, but also a women's clothing store.
Best Boutique
Tarlow's Furs
Although it has stepped away from being strictly a fur shop, Tarlow's Furs, which originated in Chicago, Ill., maintains the name and still sells a number of furs. But it is also a boutique that sells women's clothing, casual wear, mother-to-be outfits, rain coats, sweaters, costume jewelry, hats and clogs.
In an effort to gear up for the warmer weather, the boutique now stocks straw hats, straw clogs and other beachwear.
The business has only been in Campbell for two years but was in San Jose for 39 years prior to its move. The shop still provides services that were important when it opened years ago, such as the equipment necessary to dry-clean furs and make alterations to fur coats.
Tarlow's Furs, 68 E. Campbell Ave., 408.866.0796
Best Florist
Citti's
Citti's is not just another florist, according to Campbell residents. The professional but friendly service offered by the store's "associates" and "team members" makes Citti's the best in the business.
Owner Adrianna Citti Glascott, true to her name, has been running the 10-associate-strong store as a family business for the past 20 years. Glascott's parents started Citti's more than 40 years ago.
Starting from $1 for a single flower stem, Citti's can assemble a simple bouquet of sweet-smelling blooms for as little as $5.99 or elaborate arrangements for special events. Besides stocking up on seasonal blooms from all over northern California, Citti's brings flowers in from the rest of the United States. Flowers are also imported from Europe, South America and the Pacific Islands. The varied assortment of flowers allows customers to choose from a wide selection. Besides carrying different colors of roses--the year-round favorite--the store carries popular spring varieties, including tulips, irises, lilies, snapdragons and birds of paradise.
Bouquets and arrangements are delivered all over Santa Clara Valley. Citti's delivers its bouquets and arrangements nationally and internationally as well, for which prices vary depending on the country and the type of flowers selected. Even with time and price constraints, Citti's offers its customers a 100 percent guarantee on the flowers.
Citti's, 990 E. Hamilton Ave., 408.371.7006
Best Health Foods Deli
Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods was a big winner this year. The store specializes in a wide variety of grocery areas and fills numerous niches for discriminating customers.
Anything one buys at Whole Foods is guaranteed to be all-natural, making it the ultimate health food store, says manager Chris Coffin. None of its products contain artificial preservatives, he says, although not every item is organic.
The store does carry a wide variety of organic foods as well as soy products, and contains a large section of nutrition and body care products, including vitamins, supplements and toiletry items.
Among Whole Foods' most popular times, Coffin says, is lunchtime, when a long line of hungry customers forms by the store's deli to purchase custom sandwiches and hot dishes. The store also offers a case of pasta salads and other cold dishes, a salad bar and soup bar and a case of prepackaged food for those on the go.
"It's just a lot of good food made fresh every day," Coffin says.
Whole Foods Market, 1690 S. Bascom Ave., 371.5000
Best Sporting Shop
Play it Again Sports
What to do with outgrown clothes and equipment? These days, one good option is to put them in a shop on consignment. That's exactly why Campbell shoppers think Play it Again Sports is the best sporting goods store in the area. People like to get something back for what they've invested, says Manager Jesse Thomas.
Noted for its sale of new and used sports goods, Play it Again attracts shoppers with its competitive prices. To compete with the dynamic retail business, the store attempts to carry as much sports-oriented inventory as possible. With a basic stock of sports apparel, the store is mostly equipment oriented.
Selling everything, including baseball gear, golf clubs, snowboards, fitness and ski equipment and skateboards, the store keeps all seasonal sports equipment in stock.
The store's recycling concept is a win-win situation. People don't throw away their outgrown sports items anymore, which definitely helps the environment. And budget-minded families have the satisfaction of replenishing their needs based on their affordability. Located on the Campbell border at 2081 Camden Ave. in San Jose, Play it Again Sports remains a favorite among Campbell sports fans.
Play it Again Sports, 2081 Camden Ave., 408.371.4531
Best Shoes
Mervyn's
Mervyn's carries everything that a major department store carries, but Campbell residents think that the store's wide array of shoes is what sets it apart. Renovation of the store a few years ago allowed the footwear department to expand, Manager Michael Avila says. Now the additional inventory, combined with the "super service" and "self selection," make it a haven for shoe shoppers.
Different styles of shoes for children, youth, women and men are neatly stacked in shelves, which make it easier for customers to find the shoes they are looking for. Prices range from about $5 for a pair of summer sandals to almost $100 for athletic or dress shoes. The clearance sales, which include all items in the store, make it a bargain to shop at Mervyn's for shoes.
For a quarter century, the freestanding store has been serving a large residential area in Campbell. Residents look upon it as their neighborhood store and come in frequently to shop.
Mervyn's, 950 W. Hamilton Ave., 408.378.8800
Best Auto Shop
Tie: Paul Del Grande Auto Parts Supply - B&J Automobile
Cars are an important method of transportation in the Bay Area, so, fortunately for Campbell, the city boasts many shops to help repair and supply parts for automobiles. But only a couple are called the best. Paul Del Grande Auto Parts Supply has been in Campbell for 45 years. The shop is named after its 75-year-old owner, who has seen many customers for years and even has his customers' grandchildren coming to the store to buy supplies for their automobiles.
Although Del Grande had three stores, 32 employees and his own gas station, he now has a supply shop and a complete automotive machine shop; he also does auto repairs. There are two mechanics and two machinists who can repair any type of car or rebuild and hand-fit an engine. While many engine rebuilders use mass-produced engines, this shop charges the same price to custom-build a customer's engine and put it back in place.
B&J Automobile is a full-service auto shop, located in Campbell since 1986. Mechanics provide services such as break suspension, complete motor transmission, high-performance work and engine rebuilding. Customers say B&J sets itself apart from other auto shops because the shop is willing to go the extra mile, even for labor-intensive work.
Paul Del Grande Auto Parts Supply, 566 E. Campbell Ave., 408.378.6713
B&J Automobile, 300 Railway Ave., 408.379.5604
Best Cards and Gifts
A Little Something Special
After a successful stint in the retail business for 20 years, it's time for a change. At the end of February, A Little Something Special moved to conquer the current trend--e-business. Other than discontinuing greeting cards, it doesn't seem like a huge change, said owner Mary Edson.
The store has always done a lot of business over the phone and continues to do so, she said. But now clients can order their creative gift baskets and unique balloon bouquets with the click of a mouse.
The home-based business puts together specialty gift baskets pertaining to specific themes.
Their snack-attack basket has little treats and candies in a popcorn container. The "doctor's in" get-well basket carries a doctor teddy bear with uplifting gifts for a mending soul. A newborn baby basket offers stuffed animals, a candy-filled baby bottle and chocolate cigars for the new parents.
In addition to handling decorating orders for weddings and corporate and private events, Edson delivers gifts and balloons to clients all over Santa Clara County and parts of San Mateo and Alameda counties. Same-day delivery is available, but contingent upon time and distance constraints.
A Little Something Special, www.ballooncrew.com, 408.370.2048
Best Bank
Wells Fargo
Once again voted best bank in Campbell, Wells Fargo celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. American Express cofounders Henry Wells and William G. Fargo opened the first Wells Fargo bank on Montgomery Street in San Francisco in 1852, at the height of the Gold Rush.
A Wells Fargo employee manual written in 1902 says: "The most polite and courteous treatment of all customers, however insignificant their business, is insisted upon. Proper respect must be shown to all-- let them be men, women or children, rich or poor, white or black."
Joyce Tremewan, manager of Wells Fargo's Hamilton Avenue branch, says Campbell customers appreciate the courteousness of her bank's employees.
"We like to talk to our customers one on one and know as many as we can by name and give them the best service," says Tremewan, who has worked at the Hamilton branch for three years and enjoys the Campbell community.
She adds that Wells Fargo's branches function more like community banks than corporate banks.
"Many years back, I used to manage the branch at Stanford, and you'd be amazed at how many people who started out at Stanford still maintain accounts here," Tremewan says. "I've been with this bank for 35 years. If you treat people right and you take care of them, they stay with you. That's the biggest compliment you can get."
Wells Fargo, 500 The Pruneyard, 408.998.3652, and 60 W. Hamilton Ave., 408.378.8155
Best Store for Browsing
Tie: Tutto Bella - Barnes & Noble
Browsing through a store is a fun way to pass time or to fantasize about what one would like to buy if one could afford or needed something. These are a few reasons why both Tutto Bella and Barnes & Noble are good stores for browsing.
Tutto Bella offers furniture on its floor, and also in catalogs, and the shop also boasts a wide selection of colorful vases, frames, sofas, throw pillows and other home accessories--much of which are modern in style. So it comes as no surprise that when translated into English from Italian, the name "Tutto Bella" means "everything beautiful."
For budget-conscious browsers, there is a large clearance section in the back of the store. Residents must be doing more than browsing because the store has been located right in the heart of downtown Campbell for almost a year.
Barnes & Noble, on the other hand, has been in Campbell for almost six years. One can spend almost an entire day browsing the one-story bookstore conveniently divided into categories that include: religion, history, science, business and fiction, to name a few. A browser can also sift through the music section to check out his or her favorite artists. If in need of a caffeine fix, there is a Barnes & Noble coffee shop that serves Starbucks coffee.
Tutto Bella, 241 E. Campbell Ave., 408.364.0442
Barnes & Noble, 1875 S. Bascom Ave., 408.559.8101
Best Hair Salon
Gargoyles, A Salon
Gargoyles, A Salon is located at the corner of E. Campbell Avenue and First Street, just a short distance from the popular Campbell landmark, the water tower. In fact, thanks to its location, the shop offers a view of history to those having their hair styled. The building could have won best architecture, as well as best hair salon, with its gray stucco, large stained-glass window and neatly manicured lawn featuring rosebushes in the front.
The interior features a high ceiling and chandelier, and, to fit with the name, there are a couple of gargoyle statues and pictures on the wall to greet customer as they enter. The building, like several others downtown, is historic, having once served as the Campbell Country Woman's Clubhouse.
Now it is a full-service salon that offers haircuts, perms and color. There are 16 hair stylists as well as one massage therapist. Hair care products are also available.
Gargoyles, A Salon, 274 E. Campbell Ave., 408.370.0472
Best Skin, Nail Care
City Savvy
It's tucked away in a nondescript strip mall, but City Savvy has an interior that more than makes up for its exterior. Upon walking through the doors, it's hard to figure out just what this salon does. That's not a bad thing, though, as City Savvy prides itself on defining the word "full" in full-service salon.
At first glance, it appears to be a hair salon, as indicated by the displays of hair care products and the several hairdresser stations. That's just the beginning--City Savvy also does manicures, pedicures, full nail sets and fills, body waxing, rejuvenating facials and aesthetic analysis by trained aestheticians. Although it's not exactly skin care, massage does involve the skin, and that, too, is a popular service offered at the salon.
City Savvy, 2020 S. Bascom Ave., Unit E, 408.377.4122
Best Home Furnishings
Tutto Bella
Beneath a large, shady awning on E. Campbell Avenue is a place where everything is beautiful--at least according to its name, which is what Tutto Bella translates to in Italian. The contemporary home furnishings store stocks items for every room in the house--from front porch to backyard and dining room to den, it's all here. There's a great selection of home accessories (see listing under Best Place for Browsing in this section).
Because Tutto Bella is a full-service store, there's plenty of personal help and advice for patrons who don't know how to begin the daunting task of sprucing up their homes. All they need do is ask.
Tutto Bella, 347 E. Campbell Ave., 408.364.0442
Best Art Gallery
Kensington Art Centre
Kensington Art Centre is what all other art galleries aspire to, and for good reason: it truly has something for everyone.
Some folks who stop by the gallery are just interested in looking. That's fine at Kensington, which has an area gallery devoted to ever-changing installations of artwork in various mediums by artists both local and national. All pieces also carry price tags, in case a desire to look becomes a desire to buy.
Aficionados who already own paintings can also find something of interest at Kensington, which offers custom-framing services with hundreds of frames from which to choose. There's even a rent-to-own program for corporate facilities that want to enhance their walls with custom-selected art prints from a catalog of more than 5,000, which Kensington then can frame and install.
The most hands-on aspect of Kensington is its Gallery Art School, in which artists lead classes and workshops focusing on their favorite mediums and techniques. Classes are small, no prior artistic experience is required, and all students get individual attention from the artist-instructors.
Kensington Art Centre, 347 E. Campbell Ave., 408.376.0231
Best Dry Cleaners
Tie: Brink's - Delia's
It might be that Campbell residents have particularly dirty laundry, but this year's Best of Campbell contest includes two winners for Best Dry Cleaner.
Brink's Cleaners & Alterations has been around for about 15 years, says manager Van Luong, who has been there the whole time. He says he has satisfied customers because the staff is always sure to get each stain out.
The business specializes just in dry cleaning, with no additional services to distract its attention. It is able to get clean clothes back to customers in two days, but for customers in a hurry, Brink's will get them back sooner, Luong says.
Chain dry cleaner Delia's opened its newest location in Campbell just a 1 1/2 years ago, regional manager Shanda Hunter says, affording Campbell residents the same fast and varied service as in its 21 other locations. Delia's does dry cleaning, as well as leather and suede cleaning and minor alterations and repairs, she says, but emphasizes its customer service.
Items dropped off at Delia's are available, cleaned, for pickup the next day, Hunter says, with the exception of Sunday, as there is no cleaning that day, only laundry pickup and drop-off.
Brink's Cleaners & Alterations, 1775 Winchester Blvd., 408.378.6242
Delia's Cleaners, 1640 S. Bascom Ave., 408.879.9599
Best Flooring Store
Slaughterbeck Floors
Throughout the fads, trends and news products in flooring for some 30 years, Slaughterbeck Floors has been here in Campbell and developed a strong and loyal clientele.
The full-service flooring store was originally located on Harrison Avenue, general manager Vicki Dean says, but moved to its current Camden Avenue location two years ago. It specializes in finished and placed hardwood, but also sells prefinished hardwood, laminate, carpet and vinyl and a whole variety of products, including Australian and African wood, to cater to any taste.
The contractor-licensed store works with contractors and designers as well as individual clients in an effort to meet different needs.
"There's always something new coming out," Dean says. "We're full of ideas. The fact that we've been around for so many years speaks for itself."
Slaughterbeck Floors, 730 Camden Ave., 408.379.5813
The Best of Campbell 2002
Sense of Community
Dining & Entertainment
People & Professions
Kids Stuff
Places & Spaces
Campbell, California
