Richard Hassett with his dad Larry Hassett

When traveling north on Interstate 5, people often take Highway 45 into the little town of Colusa to play at the casino. Me? I detour there to shop at the Ace Hardware store. Yes, I do have a thing for hardware.

Today I paid a visit to a new hardware store closer to home. I loved it the moment I walked in. A rack of sun hats to the left, keys hanging to the right and garden tools straight ahead - lovely. I give Larry Hassett and his sons credit for starting up a new ’small’ business in this new age of big-box chains. The Ace at the corner of Lincoln and Curtner will be so handy.

Mr. Hassett is very happy with the number of neighbors who have come to visit his Willow Glen store. When I asked what products were selling the best, he mentioned garden supplies and that he was pleased with the popularity of the Weber Barbecue Grills. It should smell good in ‘The Glen’ this summer!!!

The Grand Opening is a Big 3-Day Event
May 16, 17, and 18
Doors Open 8am

Free Refreshments - and more.
Spin-to-Win
Grand Prize Drawings

Saturday 9am Ribbon Cutting - San Jose City Council member Mr. Oliverio

2253 Lincoln Ave
San Jose, Ca 95125
(Willow Glen)
408 - 267 - 0223

The Hassett family is not new to the hardware business. Together they have years of experience and the product knowledge to resolve a variety of household problems. They tell their story here.

We have all heard the scandalous slogan “What happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas” which is intended to shock and tantalize. I’m wondering, will we soon be hearing “What happens in Campbell Stays in Campbell?” I don’t believe Campbell, like Vallejo, is on the verge of bankruptcy; so desperate for tax revenue that any type of business will do. So what’s going on?

First the Cardiff Lounge made the attempt to go from a bar filled with crusty dirty old guys leering at a lingerie fashion show to a trendy bar filled with better dressed (striped shirts?) dirty old guys leering at a lingerie fashion show.  Then we hear about Hooters plan to take over the old Spoons. But it doesn’t stop there. Next door to Rasputin Music is the new “Foxy Avenue Clips”.  This new shop staffed by provocatively dressed women is there only to provide services geared toward men!

All kidding and wondering aside, “Foxy Avenue Clips” is a class act. This cool barber - grooming shop has been designed for real men. A private place to have their greying/balding hair discreetly and professionally attended to.

Foxy Avenue Clips
1810 South Bascom in Campbell
(408) 371-CLIPS
(408) 371-2547

Have you wondered what they are building on the southeast corner of Sand Hill Road and Interstate 280?  Well I have and since they didn’t put up a big sign announcing their plans, I had to go look for myself.

“Who’da thunk it?”  Stanford University is in the hotel business. Rosewood Hotels will operate the 120-room hotel, restaurant, ballroom, spa, and office space. It should be completed by 2009.

What’s in a name? Unfortunately for the Vietnamese American community here in San Jose ‘a name’ has become a conduit for division. By favoring the name “Saigon Business District”, Councilwoman Madison Nguyen has come under suspicion. She has been accused of having a (not so) hidden agenda. Was she only acting on behalf of her constituents when she became involved with the Vietnam Town Plaza?

The name “Little Saigon” has been used without controversy in San Francisco, Orange County, and Houston. Viet émigrés have worked hard to make this area of San Jose not only a successful business district, but also a symbol of freedom. Why did this become an issue only in San Jose? What harm did Mayor Chuck Reed and the Council imagine? If we follow the politics, or the money, will we find an answer? Let us hope that this vexatious situation will be resolved with a diplomatic solution.

Dear Mr. Schultz,

Regarding the changes coming to a Starbucks near me, I have been warned that the warmed breakfast sandwiches will be discontinued by the end of the year. They do not fit with the pure coffee shop experience. One thing that will harmonize with coffee, and please customers, is the idea of free Wi-Fi.

I am intrigued with what you call Art of Espresso.
The three-hours of training that will refresh the baristas knowledge.

I do appreciate your efforts in keeping Espresso standards high, but why stop there? Shouldn’t every beverage made, be one of perfection?

February 26
Starbucks to close from 5:30p - 8:30p

DRIVE THRU STARBUCKS
695 Coleman Ave @ Taylor

It was the year my mom bought one of those shiny silver aluminum Christmas trees with a color wheel beneath it. When I asked her why we couldn’t have a regular fake tree with multicolored lights, she replied that she was tired of untangling the strings. That night I came up with a solution. How about a pre-lit tree? Of course the thoughts of a young girl never went further than our living room. Sometime in the 70s the pre-lit tree appeared on the market. I could have been rich! Where was the ‘Everyday Edisons’ program when I needed it?

‘Everyday Edisons’ is holding a casting call this Saturday at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center to discover a bright idea.

The idea can take any form, from a sketch on a napkin to the finished product.
Free educational seminars, too.

Everyday Edisons - Casting Call

San Jose McEnery Convention Center
150 W. San Carlos Street
San Jose, CA 95113
800-SAN-JOSE
408-277-3535

Date: 02/16/08
You must show up sometime from 7am - 1pm to have your idea seen.
Tickets: Free

FYI - Please do not dress up in a chicken suit. It’s not American Idol.

When I got my first digital camera one of my personal goals was to record some old, some new, signs of San Jose. Along with mine, a good number of old San Jose neon signs appear on flickr. So, when I noticed the crew working to demolish the Stephen’s Meat Products site at Montgomery St. and San Fernando St. my first thought was, “No, the sign, the sign!”

Doing some research I found that after the demolition of the building the City plans to put in its place a 139 stall surface parking lot. One good thing is that the “dancing pig sign” will stay. Actually the Stephen’s Meat “dancing pig sign” will stay only as long as the parking lot does. Then it might be off to the ‘old sign warehouse’ with all the other unwanted cool old signs.

The City of San Jose in its attempt to keep our downtown from suffering visual clutter has determined that only signage that conforms to the Sign Code are permitted. That translates to boring. Can The City imagine our town with big beautiful neon signs on The Tech and The Fairmont? Wow, how about a neon Duck on the Children’s Discovery Museum?

The Sign Code

flickr signs
(more…)

Is it just news mongering, the hearsay that hints at Google saving Yahoo?

GoogHoo would be fine with me.

It won’t change my life if in an attempt to play catch-up Microsoft buys Yahoo for $44.6 bazillion dollars.

That is as long as they don’t try to Micro-manage my flickr.

We know about the Tesco efforts to open a ‘Fresh and Easy’ grocery store at Bird and Minnesota. Although I heard that there was a problem with the liquor license (the city doing their best to encourage new business?) things must be moving forward. This morning Tesco announced the opening of yet another ‘Fresh and Easy’ in San Jose. The second grocery, not far from Bird and Minnesota, will take over the soon to close Safeway at Almaden and Curtner.

It is interesting that both ‘Fresh and Easy’ stores will be located in the Willow Glen neighborhood.