Since our company's arrival in Saratoga Village 20 years ago, it's been clear that the businesses that thrive here are "destination" businesses. We've never had significant walk-in traffic; that's not news. Unique restaurants, clientele-driven personal-service businesses and specialty retailers have found their niche here.

The new owners of Knitting Arts (formerly the Braid Box) exemplify the destination retailer, as does Uncorked, California Living and The Golden Mirror, among others. Skin Prophecy is a wonderful, tempting boutique that provides a unique shopping experience. Unlike the author of [the June 23 "Empty Basin"] piece, I believe the business complexion of Big Basin Way is actually improving.

The secret to making the Village business environment more robust is to get more businesses here that fit the formula. We recruited one recently; Golden Cache Jewelers in Cupertino will be making its home in the Plaza del Roble. They're currently doing a beautiful remodel. Golden Cache is a long-established company with a devoted clientele, whose customers will now be visiting Saratoga Village.

The flow of clients in our Plaza, driven largely by James Craig Hair Color and Design, Preston Wynne Spa and now Golden Cache is formidable, but very low profile. A lack of window-shoppers is not a definitive indication that no one is patronizing businesses in the Village.

Unfortunately, small business is not supported by government (city government as well) that cares little about our needs or the fact that we create two-thirds of the jobs in the U.S. economy. Our fragmented moms and pops are the last to get the tax breaks, and we pay vastly more to administer our small companies, per capita, than large corporations. A galling example close to home: Preston Wynne Spa pays close to $9,000 per year for permits to provide massage therapy in the city of Saratoga!

Danielle Surdin is an earnest and energetic business development cheerleader for Saratoga merchants. But we do need more private investment in our commercial district, and those of us who have found success here need to use our networks to seek out complementary businesses to join us. We need to get out of our Village box.

The shuttle program, Rolando Locci's brainchild, is a great example of the creativity required to make us more competitive. It's far too early to declare the Village dead.

Peggy Wynne Borgman

Preston Wynne, Inc.
Big Basin Way

'Empty Basin' story was
true—Saratoga's dying

I had to comment on the article "Empty Basin." Thank you for noticing, thank you for writing!

There was a letter to the editor written by a woman prior to this article commenting on the lack of life in Saratoga and how she feels energized after a visit to Los Gatos. When I read her comments several weeks ago, I thought and hoped others might be noticing.

Having worked downtown in a couple of different businesses, I have noticed how dead downtown has become, with "For Lease" signs being the norm, and I thought, "Well, this must be what these people want. I'll just spend my money in Los Gatos." All we have are expensive restaurants, spas, a grocery store and a couple of lone, brave other retailers, but there is nothing fun, practical or interesting to see, do or buy. I can go to Los Gatos and get everything—clothes, high-quality meat and produce, knick-knacks, food and drink, bakery items, people watching, exercise, etc. Why stop in Saratoga?

Perhaps it is time for Saratoga to come out of its self-induced coma and start breathing again. Perhaps it is time to stop feeling so prideful about the Saratoga name and realize that those ugly "For Lease" signs are destroying any perceived special ambiance. The mountain is beautiful, the setting is quaint, but under the natural blanket, Saratoga is a dying patient that needs intensive care. Let's get going!

Belinda Heerwagen

Wildwood Way

Reader blames fathers
for the way girls dress

I wanted to thank you for the story you ran June 2 ("Risqué Business," featuring the dress codes at area schools) regarding the fatherless girls attending our local high schools. However, though you went into some detail documenting the excuses used for wearing revealing clothing, you didn't delve into the reason behind this behavior, and it shouldn't have been ignored.

The lack of a father in the home has been well documented as a root cause of many societal problems, including that of young girls acting in a highly promiscuous manner. A discussion of such a connection would have been very helpful in your article.

"Fatherless" children include those where the father has died (a horrible tragedy that is fortunately quite rare), a divorced father (far too common) and an absentee father, who has no time to properly raise his daughters, usually due to the pursuit of the almighty dollar. It would have been very interesting to see an evaluation of the fathers' role in these girls' lives included in your article. I'll continue to hope for greater journalistic efforts from your publication.

Mike Kleinsmith

Seaton Avenue

Less is more when
applying chemicals

In the May 26 issue of the Saratoga News, Broderick Perkins raises some concerns about "pesticides" applied to residential landscaping and gardens. I share his prudent approach to gardening and do not apply chemicals to my yard.

My wife and I are delighted by the birds and squirrels who use our lawn and patio for morning and evening meals of bugs and seeds.

However, his article had the expression "deadly toxic danger" in reference to DDT. No reputable document I am aware of characterizes this chemical in such harsh terms. In fact, it is considered to be one of the most benign and effective controls for mosquitoes that carry malaria. It has low acute human toxicity, and a reference to the most recent update on the International Agency for Research on Cancer [a part of the World Health Organization] website states that: "There is inadequate evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of DDT"—after many scientific studies and a massive epidemiological data set. The issue of damage to the reproduction of raptors is certainly of concern but is much too complex to air in this short letter.

We are fortunate to live in one of the most affluent and technically sophisticated areas of the world. Yet, we are exposed almost daily to conclusions based on half-truths or even junk science. For example, Mr. Perkins will learn that his compost pile is likely generating minute quantities of dioxins—naturally.

Mr. Perkins should take advantage of local scientific learning, and, as a minimum, read the excellent book Naturally Dangerous by James P. Collman. Collman is a professor of chemistry at Stanford University and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, among other honors to his scholarship.

Mr. Perkins can borrow my copy of the book if he will read it and he doesn't underline. It is a fascinating discussion of our chemically based existence—both natural and manmade. Nearly every page is a revelation, even for those who think they are well-read about environmental matters.

Ed Johnson

Sunnyvale