Los Gatos Weekly-Times Double D's seems a good fit for popular restaurant spot Frank Stagnaro AND THEY WILL COME. Since the early 1960s, 354 N. Santa Cruz Ave. has housed a succession of restaurants, all now consigned to Los Gatos lore. You might remember a few--Fiorello's, John Paul, Grog and Sirloin, New Magoos, Live Oak, 5-Spot. Right now, the odds are good that Dean and Darin Devincenzi's Double D's Sports Grille is going to be the site's permanent occupant for the foreseeable future. "We were all aware of what had happened before," says bartender Ralph Martinetti, who has been with the grille since its inception. "We knew that the location and lack of parking was, and still is, the biggest problem. But, like Earl Ray Jones said in Field of Dreams, 'build it and they will come.'" And they have. From its opening in July 1996, Double D's has steadily added to its clientele with a resonating ambience consisting of loud in-vogue music, professional sports team banners and jerseys, brewer's promotional signs, 17 strategically positioned television screens constantly treating viewers to an infinite variety of sporting events--plus good food, honest drinks and friendly service. "You can't make it on looks alone," Dean Devincenzi says. "When you build something it's got to be good from top to bottom. Then they'll come," he says. "Of course," Martinetti adds, "a parking garage at this end of town wouldn't hurt." SUPPLEMENTAL OFFICE SYSTEMS is celebrating its 11th year of doing business in Los Gatos. Proprietor Tom Miller estimates that SOS has sold more than 8,000 custom-built computers during that time. "I suppose a lot of people would be surprised at that total," Tom says. "When I think about it, so am I. Actually we are not that well-known in town. We might be the longest lived low-profile business in Los Gatos." Miller thinks one reason for the relative obscurity of SOS might be its address. "People have to stop and think where 100 S. Santa Cruz Ave. is," he says. "Another reason might be that we don't do much advertising." Well-known or not, SOS has reached the stage where it is now selling or renting to third-generation computer users. "Our original customers, who are now grandparents in some cases, bought their first machines from us," Miller says. "They passed the word on to their kids, who are passing it on to their kids. We think this is the best possible way to hang on to customers." Sharon Miller, Tom's wife, bookkeeper and components buyer, attributes the success of SOS to adherence to a few fundamental business principles. "We are definitely price competitive," she says. "But we do not offer the lowest possible price available. When you start doing that, you have to start lowering product quality. That is not our style. We stress service and accessibility. We are always just a phone call away from someone with a problem." SHOPPING SHUTTLE? Sallie Robbins-Druian of the French Cellar, the purveyor of fine regional wines and objects from France located at 32 East Main St., thinks the time is coming. Her reasoning lies in the buying habits of one C.D. Hurst of Los Altos Hills. C.D., age 10 and currently fully employed in the 4th grade, has cultivated a taste for French "limonade." "Since C.D. is on a limited allowance, he has his mother drive him down to Los Gatos where he can buy his favorite drink at a much lower cost than up in Menlo Park where the family normally shops," Robbins-Druian says. "Mrs. Hurst is acutely aware of the inconvenience but consoles herself with the knowledge that when C.D. is old enough to drink wine, he'll be able to do his own driving." In the meantime Robbins-Druian wonders about all the other sophisticated youths who are unable to satisfy their discriminating tastes because of a transportation problem. "They need some kind of wheels," she says. "N'est-ce pas?" TEEL'S PICKS CORNERSTONE. After 10 years in the Fairmont Hotel and 43 years as a family-run jeweler in downtown San Jose, Teel's Jewelry has moved into the Cornerstone Building at 16006 Los Gatos Blvd. Owner Richard Teel says, "The Fairmont Hotel has been a good host for the past decade, and we are truly sad to leave. However, Teel's is a growing business, and we simply needed to expand our facilities to accommodate our growth. Actually, we have been anticipating a move for a few years and have been looking for the right spot." According to Teel, the many advantages of the new Los Gatos store greatly outweighed a move to another downtown San Jose location. He cites as examples, ample parking, easy access traveling to and from the store and a vibrant shopping environment. "We also felt the need to have our repair and manufacturing shop on the premises," he says. Teel's features top-of-the-line necklaces, earrings, rings, watches, pins--everything for the lover of fine jewelry. This year the store is holding its second annual "Rains Just One-Half Inch" promotional event. Customers will receive a full refund (less sales tax) on anything they buy between Nov. 16 and Dec. 24 if it rains just half an inch or more between 4 p.m. and midnight on New Year's Eve. "And yes, you do get to keep the jewelry," Teel says. CORNERSTONE RESIDENT. The investment firm of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter also opens a new office this month in the new Cornerstone building. The Los Gatos branch will be staffed with senior financial advisors from the Cupertino branch under the direction of manager Andrew Clift. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, December 9, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.