A year after closing its doors at the corner of West San Carlos Street and Meridian Avenue, it has reopened less than a quarter-mile away at 411 Meridian Ave. on the border of Willow Glen.

Ed Sugitan is pleased to be back in business and close to his former location.

"I was looking for a long time, and I drove by and saw the "for sale" sign on this house," he says. He took possession of the house and two outlying buildings on Feb. 24, opening his doors for business on June 12.

Sugitan and his wife, Paula, operated the first San Carlos Street Antiques for a decade, in partnership with Sandy Miller. When their lease was up for renewal in July 2003, landlord Susan Camarlinghi was faced with upgrading the building or razing it for a new development. She decided on the latter course and the antique store closed.

Understandably, Sugitan says after the experience of losing a lease, he wasn't interested in another one.

"Leases are high and they don't give you anything," he says.

The new San Carlos Street Antiques is inside an Arts and Crafts-style bungalow built around 1930. Sugitan has repainted and repaired the home while taking care to restore and retain its original details.

He has also paired his inventory with appropriate rooms where possible.

In the front parlor is a Victrola in a cabinet and two children's chairs—a spindle rocker and a small chair.

In the kitchen are cookie jars, salt and pepper shakers sets and a set of seven Chinese porcelain cups and saucers with matching teapot and sugar bowl. In the bathroom, with its original celadon-and-lavender-color tiles, is a selection of cranberry-glass perfume bottles and other dressing-table items. Other rooms contain Hawaiian art and ukeleles, a grouping of meerschaum pipes, a collection of toy Singer sewing machines and several vintage items from both the San Jose and San Francisco fire departments.

Glass display cases are scattered throughout the house, with jewelry, silver pieces, Hummel figurines and carved ivory figures among the treasures locked inside.

Sugitan has also transformed the backyard into a display area for what he calls "yard art."

"People prefer to live in their backyards more than anywhere else right now. They invite friends over for iced tea, wine or dinner," he says.

And he adds, "People will quibble about the price of a piece of furniture, but if they see something that will look good in their backyard, they'll just take it.. At first I thought it was a fad, but it keeps going on."

To tempt buyers, Sugitan's stock includes a metal weather vane he was told came from a barn in the Rose Garden, a pair of stained-glass doors, a windmill, concrete statues and pieces of old wrought iron.

A push mower catches the eye, but Sugitan laughs as he says, "It's not for sale. I use it to mow the back lawn, but it does look good."

Two garages in back contain large pieces of furniture that don't fit inside the house, including an Austrian sideboard with carved front panel doors and a tin breadbox with part of its original label. There are also a number of porcelain canisters with metal pumps from a soda fountain, and a number of chandeliers hang overhead.

Sugitan doesn't confine his inventory to any one era or area.

"I like unusual, fun stuff," he says of his eclectic mix.

Sugitan says some of his inventory comes from his own antique-hunting sojourns as well as from estates. He offers appraisals and often buys from people who bring items to him.

His longtime relationship with the area is one reason he was intent on finding a location near the original one.

"We've always had a good relationship with people around here, and we have a good reputation," he says.

"It's been fun as people come in and say, 'We've been waiting for you.'"

San Carlos Street Antiques is at 411 Meridian Ave., near Auzerais Avenue, San Jose, and is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; the phone number is 408.293.8105.