Riter headed off for Bali with his surfboard and a business idea. The idea has come to life in the form of Indo Teak and Gifts located in the Village on Big Basin Way. He opened his store on Oct. 1, stocking it with imported handmade Balinese furniture, handbags, drums, incense and artwork.

"It's all the beauty of Bali," he said.

A wine rack is made from the bow of a Balinese fishing boat. Each handmade cabinet is the unique creation of its builder. Photographs Riter took of the craftsmen and women who built the items hang from the walls above their work.

Riter said he looked at Campbell and Willow Glen as possible locations for opening his store. But when he saw the empty storefront on Big Basin Way, he decided it was the ideal place. "It just felt right," he said. "I really enjoy the Saratoga community--the diversity of ages and cultures."

At the other end of Big Basin Way, Saratoga Chocolates has recently opened its doors. Chocolatier Mary Loomas is the owner of the gourmet chocolate store that opened Oct. 29. "When I decided to open up shop, it was a natural fit," Loomas said of Saratoga.

A tempering machine churns chocolate on a metal wheel back behind the chocolates displayed on the front counter. All of Loomas' chocolates are made in the store. The high-end chocolates are fresh with no preservatives, she explained. "We source everything from California, except for the liqueurs," she said.

Loomas, who lives in the area, modeled her shop after chocolate shops in France. She said European-style chocolate shops have been growing in popularity in the United States, especially in cities such as New York and San Francisco. Her customer base is made up of chocoholics, chocolate connoisseurs and gift givers. She is currently gearing up for the holiday season, expecting Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter to be her busiest times of year.

Saratoga Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kathy Phelan sees the store openings as a sign of an improving business climate. "I think that there's a surge of energy coming in through the new businesses and the efforts of a lot of different people and organizations," she said.

The Saratoga Village Gardeners and the Saratoga Village Development Council are two of the organizations that have been making an effort to pull the Village out of the economic doldrums that followed the bursting of the dot-com bubble. Both groups are made up of volunteers concerned with the appearance and the economic vitality of the Village.

Near Blaney Plaza at the head of the Village, construction workers work busily at Corinthian Corners getting the small shopping center ready for three store openings. "We're pretty much done with the exterior," Corinthian Corners owner Nasser Hiekali said. "We're trying to wrap it up by the end of the month."

Dave Horne will open a bike shop at Corinthian Corners once the renovation work is complete. On the wall in front of the future location of his shop, the Break Away Bike Shop, is an email sign-up sheet filled with names. "We're excited to have him," Hiekali said, of Horne and his bike shop. "He will be a good addition to Saratoga."

One of the more controversial stores set to open at Corinthian Corners is a Starbucks Coffee Shop. The application by Starbucks for a conditional-use permit allowing it to open at the head of the Village was met with opposition by nearby coffee shops and by a large number of Saratoga residents concerned with issues such as parking, traffic and the degradation of the unique character of the Village. A split vote by the planning commission last summer left the decision on the permit to a decidedly pro-business city council, which approved the application and paved the way for the store to open, possibly before the year is out.

Hiekali's current goal is to have six tenants at Corinthian Corners. Starbucks, the Break Away Bike Shop and Dr. John Tang's Rejuvé cosmetic clinic are getting ready to open, and Hiekali is hopeful that the shopping center will have full occupancy by the end of the year.

While new stores have been opening on Big Basin Way, a conspicuous empty storefront remains a reminder of difficult economic times. Patrick James, a high-end men's clothing store, was granted a $20,000 subsidy in 2000 by the city to open in the Village. But it closed its doors last year and the building remains vacant.