He's come a long way—from a teenage "grunt" working in a furniture store to owning his own stores. Along the way he's worked as a merchandise manager and a buyer and has overseen the sales floor for large furniture companies.

After almost four years operating a corner shop on Lincoln Avenue, Bauer Leather Galleries is closing its doors because of a 20 percent increase in the rent.

The store is currently having a 30 to 70 percent liquidation sale. Bauer is not sure where he will reopen his shop and is researching his options. The Lincoln Avenue store will be open through October 2003, then his lease runs out. But he won't be closing his store in Sacramento, which opened the same year as the Willow Glen location.

"I am sad not to be part of the Willow Glen business community anymore," says Bauer, who moved to Willow Glen in 1991 and has two young children.

Bauer Leather Galleries carries mostly leather furniture, with some tables, accessories and bedroom furniture. It also customizes home theater and entertainment systems.

The shop doesn't have much competition on Lincoln Avenue. Black Sea Gallery and Casa Casa also sell furniture, but Bauer Leather Galleries specializes in custom-crafted furniture, he says.

The store specializes in making furniture pieces; customers select the style, size of the piece and type of leather. He says it was just coincidence he got involved with leather but he is happy about his choice because since he started in the business, leather's popularity has doubled.

"Leather is really easy to take care of. A lot of people think they'll wait until after their kids grow up to own it, but really it's great to have with kids because it's easy to clean," Bauer says.

The process of finishing leather determines its quality and softness, Bauer says. The basic grade is buffed, embossed with patterns and painted, while higher quality leather is dyed all the way through and given a clear coating. There is also brushed leather, which has a suede-like feel, and waxy leather, which makes a piece look antique.

Wendy Llamas was surprised to see the store closing. She recently purchased a living room and family room set from the store.

"We looked all over the place and what really impressed us here was the quality and the education about leather," says Llamas, who recently moved to Concord from Willow Glen. "Plus the store customizes and has a wide variety."

The variety comes from shopping at furniture trade shows throughout the country, Bauer says. He also has supplies imported from Canada, Australia and other countries. At a customer's request, his factory in Dallas, Texas will also use fabric instead of leather.

Bauer sent a letter to all his customers telling them about the store closing and sale. Aside from Willow Glen, he has customers in Los Gatos, Saratoga and Almaden. He also recently shipped merchandise to Oregon and Ohio.

"We have grown each year and have a loyal customer base," Bauer says. "People enjoy shopping here because of the quality of the product. But there is room for growth because leather is still more popular in Europe than here."

For more information about Bauer Leather Galleries, 1191 Lincoln Ave., call 408.885.8940.