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Photograph by George Sakkestad
Ken Kossoudji loves Asian art and culture so much that he devoted a whole store to it.
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New In Town Blend of Asian Cultures
Walking through the cozy, quiet store called Cultures is like strolling through an Asian art museum. And that's definitely no accident.
"I've been fascinated with Asia for 22 years and I've been traveling there for about 20. I've loved each new place I've been; every country has its own distinct culture and style," explains owner Ken Kossoudji.
Kossoudji became a serious collector of Asian artifacts, antiques and art about 10 years ago, hand-selecting one collector's piece at a time until it became his full-time pursuit. Of all the countries represented by his labors of love, China is his favorite and is the place he says makes him feel he has "gone home."
Cultures, whose ambiance comes from a red Chinese arched entryway, seagrass floor mats, gold, brown and red walls and softly ethereal Asian music, offers many centuries' worth of exotic items. There are god and goddess statues recovered from ancient Cambodian temples; pottery from 15th- or 16th-century Burma (now Myanmar); 17th-century marble Buddha statuary; 18th-century taanka, or religious scrolls, from Tibet; 19th-century gold- and silver-leaf religious figures from Vietnam; and much furniture from 18- and 19th-century China, including a hefty apothecary chest, lacquered make-up boxes with gold leaf, and a lacquered wedding cabinet that was once used to store a bride's dowry.
Among the more unusual items are "good luck eggs"--seemingly solid spheres that rattle softly when shaken. The process by which they are made is a secret, Kossoudji says. Other unique artifacts include a skinny and surprisingly accurate blowgun from the island of Borneo and bone-plated armor--a vest and matching helmet--from the island of Sulawesi.
Cultures, 59 N. Santa Cruz Ave. Hours are Tues.-Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday noon- 5 p.m., and by appointment. 399-3988.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
