Photograph by George Sakkestad
Kristy Kent, owner of Kristy's of Saratoga, sells 'garden art and home unessentials' out of a garden and converted garage on Fourth Street.
If unique is what you seek, better check out Kristy's
By Rebecca Ray
When people step into Kristy's of Saratoga, one of the first things they see is a pink parasol that hangs upside-down from the ceiling. Then they will notice the rusted pieces of cast-iron gates ... or the table covered with colored glass pumpkins ... or the antique street lamp from Michigan.
Owner Kristy Kent says she sells "garden art and home unessentials" out of what used to be a garage at 14531 Big Basin Way #19. Although she says her passion has always been architectural garden pieces, such as fountains and concrete mantels, she also sells other artwork because, she says, she loves to support people who try to earn a living by making beautiful things.
When Kristy's is open--which is usually Wednesday through Sunday--the glass pumpkins, made by artists from the nonprofit Bay Area Glass Institute in San Jose, sit on the railroad-tie fence posts outside Kent's garage, which actually faces Fourth Street. She even displays at least 1,000 of them there every year during the Celebrate Saratoga! street dance.
The glass pumpkins are Kent's mainstay. She believes that locals perceive her as "The Pumpkin Lady." However, she sells more than glass pumpkins.
On the doorframe of the garage hang rectangular cut-glass chimes dangling from plates; these are made by Kent's former next-door neighbor, Debi Foland of Ben Lomond.
Although San Francisco artist Eileen Sullivan intends for the stringed beads she makes to be tree ornaments, Kent also sells them as decorative pulls for fans and lights.
Along a door to the garage hang crosses made of iron, ceramic and various other materials. Kent doesn't display the crucifixes for religious reasons; she just thinks they're beautiful.
There are also Madame Zoya's dyed eggs. Madame Zoya, who owns chickens in Smartsville, Calif., paints intricate patterns on some of the eggs and covers others in woven copper.
Throughout the store are ceramic gnomes, from a few inches to about two feet tall. There are sleeping gnomes, gnomes pumping water, male gnomes sitting next to female gnomes and even gnomes on swings.
Customers will find old painted windows and scented candles, as well as scarves, jewelry, pajamas, antique chandeliers and a chest full of purses.
Outside in the garden are tin fairies, two-foot-tall leprechauns, bird feeders that look like ashtrays mounted on copper poles, plastic and concrete deer, and antique sewer vents. These objects are intermingled with pieces of patio furniture, washboards, colored gazing balls-which reflect everything that surrounds them, and a rocking horse that no longer rocks.
Kent says she loves old objects, especially ones with stories behind them. Once she sold a bench from a mental institute. Although some customers were horrified when they found out where it came from, others, like Kent, thought it was cool.
She also says she loves objects with chipped paint, so that one can see all the colors something has been painted over the years.
When Kent first rented the garage three years ago, she thought she'd use it as storage space for the antiques she sold, and had no dreams of opening a shop. But then her business grew.
Kent, who lives in Los Gatos with her 6-year-old daughter, Mathilda, and their dog, Zeek, gets merchandise from around the country as well as Europe.
Last month, Kent added a nursery. Local horticulturist Sam Wilds is her supplier; he had been selling plants to landscapers and wanted to start selling to the public.
Kent has also expanded her services. In addition to arranging outdoor living spaces at peoples' homes, she finds plants, trees and unique objects for people that she doesn't carry at her store.
Kent, who has no phone line in her garage, is not listed in the phone book. To contact her, call 408.316.3329.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
