Saundra Matascio (left), of Main Street Antiques, shows an antique gold beaver ring to Lujean Martin.
Photograph by George Sakkestad
By Shari Kaplan
Aside from its namesake cats, which have all but disappeared into the surrounding mountains, Los Gatos is also known for something else--a more tangible characteristic that complements the quaint atmosphere of the town and distinguishes it from its neighboring communities.
Antique shops.
Los Gatos is home to more than a dozen such establishments. Casual browsers and dedicated treasure-hunters can spend a few dollars on bric-a-brac dated by decade or thousands of dollars on relics dated by century. There are discoveries to be made in between as well.
The Fretwell Building offers plenty in each category. Built in 1908 by jeweler/optician J.J. Fretwell, the historic building now houses three shops: Antiquarium and Patterson's Antiques on its W. Main Street side and Old Town Antiques on the side facing University Avenue.
"No antique store has made it that's gone into business on the other side of the [Highway 17] bridge," says Antiquarium owner Shirley Henderson, also an active member of the Los Gatos Downtown Association.
"Location is number one. You've got to have walk-in traffic."
Henderson should know, having moved her extensive collection of Americana three times since coming to Los Gatos in the 1970s. Her final move to the Fretwell Building doubled her income, she says.
After relocating their inventory several times in the past 15 years, Mary and Roger Mills settled in at Old Town Antiques almost three years ago.
According to Mary Mills, what sets their store apart is its emphasis on glassware and china, although silverware, jewelry, furniture and small collectibles are mixed in for good measure. Wooden shelves up to the ceiling teem with a rainbow array of bowls, plates, cups and vases.
The china, porcelain and earthenware have origins in the United States as well as England, France, Germany, Prussia and Asia. Made in the 19th and early to mid-20th centuries, the glassware originates not only in America but also in Italy, Czechoslovakia and other countries.
Among customers' favorites, Mills says, is pressed and iridized "carnival glass," the last hand-shaped glass product mass-produced in this country. It was also made in Australia and some European countries. Customers also favor toys, perfume bottles and pottery.
"People do browse, but many come in and say 'I'm looking for this.' For the most part, they know what they're looking for," Mills says.
Looking that very day for antique teacups and silver teaware were Dennis and Vikki Broekemeier of Anaheim and their sister-in-law Joanne Henley of San Jose. The Broekemeiers, who frequently go antiquing in Pasadena and Orange, say they enjoy the chance to shop in Los Gatos when in the area.
"You don't see this craftsmanship anymore," Dennis says on why he is drawn to antiques. "Also, having these things makes your home unique. It's like living with a piece of history, and they grow in value."
"As we get older, we appreciate antiques more and more," Henley adds.
While Mary says she acquired her antique knowledge through research, shows and just being in the business, she is always learning something new. For example, for the longest time, Mary could not figure out the use for a certain piece of Victorian silverplate dinnerware. It took a customer who throws Victorian parties in his home to tell her the item was a fancy sugar-cube holder with scoop.
Chuck Bergtold has worked at Pat and Ruth Patterson's antique shop since the 1960s, taking ownership in 1989 after Ruth's passing; she was predeceased by Pat in the 1970s.
"This is like the grandfather of antique shops here in Los Gatos," Bergtold says. "One of the things people like is that they never know what they're going to see when they come in."
Bergtold himself never knows what he's going to see on Mondays, the day he offers free appraisals on antiques ranging in quality from junk to gems.
Adorning the walls and glass cases is almost pure Americana, including a temperamental but functioning Seeburg nickelodeon player piano, jingly slot machines used in smoky bar back rooms, oil paintings, toys, old firefighting equipment, a vintage motorcycle, collectible panels from citrus crates, timeworn books and swords and flintlock pistols dating from the early 1800s.
Bergtold is particularly proud of his Los Gatos collection: glasses, plates, pins and other items bearing names such as Soda Works, Liberty Cigar Store and Los Gatos Trail Days. Former students of the defunct University Avenue School (now Old Town) may recognize the imposing face of a jeweler's regular clock--it once kept time in the principal's office.
A personal collection of old police and fire badges from Los Gatos and vicinity are not for sale, although other fire and law enforcement badges are. A large papier-mâché cat is likewise for display only. The feline, which used to ride in the Los Gatos Christmas Parade, was made more than 50 years ago by former Los Gatos businessman and investor John Whisenant, the same man who originated frozen, chocolate-covered bananas on sticks, according to Bergtold.
Greg Timm of Santa Cruz, antiquing in Los Gatos while between business appointments, was looking for carved bears, not cats. He didn't find any during his jaunt through Patterson's, although other trinkets did catch his eye.
"Antique stores are great because they bring back memories--things our grandparents had that we threw away and now wish we'd kept. They're easier and friendlier to go to than museums," he says, adding that most areas he shops in have their own types of antique shop, with Napa being quite high-end, Santa Cruz lower-end and Los Gatos a good blend of each.
Main Street Antiques is an example of the latter. As a collective rather than a single shop, it houses between 25 and 30 independent antique buyers and dealers, each of whom pay rental and commission fees to owner Kathleen Gallo to display their wares in a portion of the large building.
"Usually a store owned by one person has its own distinct personality. With so many different dealers, we get a mix of many different personalities," Gallo explains, naming furniture, silverware, china, collectibles and watches as some specialties. Her own is estate jewelry. "There's no way I could have this shop without having all the dealers and their unique contributions.
"In a transient, throwaway society, there's an element of people who want something to treasure that's been around a long time. Plus, everyone likes to collect something, and they enjoy the hunt," she adds.
L. Calvin Baker, Jr. of JA-PHICHI Treasures also appreciates the hunt, as evinced by the growing collection of Asian antiques and artifacts filling every corner of the shop he runs with co-owner Ramon Asuncion.
The name JA-PHICHI is an acronym for Japan, Philippines and China--the three countries from which Baker and Asuncion import a variety of wooden furniture, garden lanterns, paintings, china, rice-paper screens, vases, animal figurines and statues of the Buddha and various deities. They even have chopsticks.
"If you were to come in here next week, you probably wouldn't recognize the place. We're constantly turning over the inventory," Baker says, explaining that those items not bought at the store are often snatched up at antique shows.
"We try to find out the history of each piece--when was it used and what it was used for," he adds, pointing to a glazed pot with a plant inside that was originally a hibachi. He also enjoys telling the story of the Japanese Gizo Stones, which relatives would erect in memory of a child who died. It was believed the children's spirits needed to build stone steps to reach heaven, while evil entities tried to steal the stones away. The Gizo Stones helped the children in their journey.
Other items Baker notes for their historical interest include a 19th century hand-hammered Filipino Kris sword, distinguished by the smooth undulations of its long blade, as well as sets of Chinese tomb statues dating back to the Tang (618-907 A.D.) and Ming (1368-1644 A.D.) Dynasties.
For the higher-end treasure-hunters are Los Gatos shops Les Poisson and Joella Conover's Antiques and Interiors. Les Poisson does not actually refer to fish, but rather to owner Ken Poisson and his family, who have run the business for more than 25 years.
"This is not a knickknack store. We don't sell things every day," says manager Birgitta Mayhorn. "Sometimes people might work a whole room around one piece. You have to take your time when you're doing something like that."
The shop carries only French merchandise, mostly 18th and 19th century tables, chairs, sofas, vases, paintings and chandeliers, which the Poissons obtain in France during several buying trips each year. They also bring back items with names best left to native speakers, such as vasseliers (buffets with wooden railings for displaying dishes) and bonnetiéres (small armoires once used to store bonnets).
At Joella Conover's shop, English antiquaries of the 17th through 19th centuries reign supreme, although France receives recognition, with a bit of Asia as well. Like Mayhorn, Conover has become familiar with terms not used in everyday speech.
For example, Conover says, decorators and antique dealers find themselves using "inside lingo" for colors of fabric, furniture or paint, such as sang de boeuf or blanc de cheine instead of oxblood red or China white, respectively. In her 20 years on the antique scene, Conover has gleaned much knowledge of history and antiques, which she now uses to enlighten others.
"Some people don't always know what they're looking for, and need to be informed. We're delighted when people ask because it creates more interest. It's like getting an art history lesson in one hour," she says, adding that about 75 percent of customers are "looking for something to hit them."
One of Conover's favorite pieces is a small child's wooden chair with reed backing, made on Scotland's Orkney Islands during the 19th century. The only wood available to the islanders was driftwood, which they collected when it washed ashore on their cold beaches. Tough, springy reeds were used for most other projects.
Conover, like many antique shop owners, believes there will always be a market for antiques because eventually all new items become old, and many become valuable with age. Additionally, everyone enjoys and collects different things.
"It's addicting," Conover says of the antique hunter's passion. "But then again, it's a good addiction."
LOS GATOS ANTIQUE SHOPS
Antiquarium
98 W. Main St.
354-7878
California Interiors
301 N. Santa Cruz Ave.
354-6654
Charles Jay Conover Antiques
25 Reservoir Rd
354-2755
Joella Conover Antiques and Decorative Arts
45 W. Main St.
354-0523
Curious Book Shoppe
23 E. Main St.
354-5560
The French Collection Antiques
29 N. Santa Cruz Ave.
354-2232
International Bronze Sale
631 University Ave.
395-7175
Iwasawa Oriental Art
75 University Ave.
395-2339
JA-PHICHI
501 N. Santa Cruz Ave.
399-0055
Jean Newhart Antiques
110 W. Main St.
354-1646
Les Poisson Antiques
25 N. Santa Cruz Ave.
354-7937
Los Gatos Porch
32 N. Santa Cruz Ave.
354-5470
Main Street Antiques
150 W. Main St.
395-3035
Maria's Antiques of Los Gatos
112 N. Santa Cruz Ave.
395-5933
Old Town Antiques
6 University Ave.
354-4420
Patterson's Antiques
88 W. Main St.
354-1718
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, April 24, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved