Los Gatos Weekly-Times Editorial The times they are a-changin' Bruni Sablan will soon leave Old Town, where she created her famous Jazz Masters series and where she encouraged other artists to indulge their creative passions. Her departure is a loss to the community in general and to Old Town in particular. In addition to being a highly regarded artist, Bruni was a tie to Old Town's glory days, when visitors came to buy pottery and hand-crafted jewelry and paintings from a veritable colony of artists in a remodeled school built in the early 1920s. Although the Planning Commission, with more than a little help from the Historic Preservation Committee, demanded high standards of the developers who are remodeling Old Town, it was a foregone conclusion that the new Old Town would not be the old Old Town. Times change. Tastes change. We doubt an Oakville Grocery could have survived in the culture of the original Old Town. Who cared about olive oil and balsamic vinegar back then? Who in the early days of Old Town would have dreamed of attending an olive tasting? Yet these days, Oakville Grocery can attract a large crowd of foodies eager to cultivate their taste buds on an infinite variety of olives. The old Old Town had the wonderful, independent Walden Pond bookstore, and what lover of books who ever browsed its shelves wouldn't wish for its return? In its stead, the new Old Town offers Borders Books & Music. It's not Walden Pond. And it's definitely corporate. But it's also proved to be much more than a mere chain store. On any given day, Borders offers a wide array of activities geared toward the community. There are book discussion groups, book signings, poetry readings--for high-school students as well as adults--and talks on a variety of subjects. Local authors get special attention. And there's lots of music in the cafe. Before Borders began offering programs for children, the staff checked to make sure its schedule would not conflict with the children's programs at the Town Library. Corporate, yes, but just another cookie-cutter chain store? Obviously not. As the new Old Town begins to take shape, it's clear enough what we've lost. But the reality is that much of what we lost was gone long before talk of renovation ever began. The thought of impersonal chain stores replacing the delightful old Old Town is depressing, but the stores that have opened so far clearly are striving to identify with the Los Gatos community. We wish Bruni well in her new studio. Los Gatans will no doubt travel to neighboring Campbell to visit her. And for a quick fix, they can check her out on the Internet--something new since Old Town's heyday. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, February 10, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.