Need clothing made, altered or hemmed? Los Gatos has a fabulous, long time resource right here in town. Tucked away in a little building across the street from Safeway sits Designer's Tailoring. Thuan Ho Dang, the seamstress (or tailor), does superb work. She and her husband, Tho, have been in business here for 27 years, since 1985.
I was introduced to them by a friend of mine at North American Title (which is the next building over), Carron Findley, in the early 90s and have been a happy, loyal customer ever since. Last week I was at the shop again with some pants which needed hemming and I spoke with Thuan and Tho about their business and their recent move from one suite to the other in the same building.
"We don't advertise, everything is word of mouth", Thuan explained. Enthusiastic customers refer them consistently, and I believe it, because I've referred people to them too. They are pleasant, do good work and prices are more than fair.
Friendly, low key and welcoming, the owners are careful business people who recently moved their shop in from the suite adjacent to North Santa Cruz Avenue to the one next door, more interior and a little less visible, for better pricing in the same building. Their planning helps to keep prices down, something all customers appreciate.
Designer's Tailoring provides custom made drapes, clothing, alterations and more at very reasonable prices and with friendly, knowledgeable service. On a scale of 1 to 10, it gets a solid "10" in my book.
Open M - F, 9:30am - 5:30pm and Sat, 9:30 - 4:30pm.
469 N. Santa Cruz Avenue
Los Gatos CA 95030
Tel 408 354-8903
The town of Los Gatos is considering a pilot program which would allow dogs to be off leash at certain parks during particular periods. The blurb on the town's website states:
"A series of community meetings will be held to discuss a pilot program to allow dogs off leash at Live Oak Manor, Bachman, and La Rinconada parks. The meetings will be held at Louise Van Meter Elementary School (16445 Los Gatos Boulevard) at 6:00 p.m., on April 25, May 9, and May 23. Please contact the Parks and Public Works Department at (408) 399-5770 for more information."
What do you think of this idea?
I'm a passionate dog owner and lover, but I think that letting dogs off leash - except in a dog park - is a terrible idea. Here's why:
Many people are afraid of dogs, and it would be terrifying for them to have dogs not under the control of an owner with a leash - these people would feel uncomfortable and unsafe in the parks with the "off leash" policy
Some dogs are afraid of or very cautious about other dogs too. Our beloved pet, Bella, is curious initially but after a quick hello with other dogs prefers to be left alone. (Most of the time, she's rather play with humans than dogs. She's a rescue dog, so we don't know the story there.) When we last took her to the dog park which Los Gatos shares with Campbell, poor Bella got some "unwanted attention" from a male dog who was apparently smitten. This would not have happened had the male been on a leash.
While most dogs are even tempered, some are not - and may not show that aggressive side until it's too late. Why take a chance?
Even the best behaved dogs will pee and poop where they will if not on leash, and a dog that has run 100' or more away may leave a mess that its owner cannot later find and tidy up. (If they try - too many are irresponsible.)
What would be better than having pooches run off leash at certain hours would be having a fenced in, off leash area within these parks. Dogs could be welcome to romp off leash there. Many parks and even apartment complexes in Silicon Valley have such spaces, although admittedly they are often small. I saw one just last week at San Jose's Golden Oak Park in Almaden (next to Fontana and Guadalupe Oaks Park). Better still, add more dog parks to the town's mix of open spaces for residents.
Please stop by a Sereno Group office in Los Gatos, Los Altos or Santa Cruz to take part in a FREE e-waste, e-recycling collection event on Earth Day, Sunday April 22 from 9:30AM- 3:30 PM.
Metech Recycling has an incredible 95% success rate with getting these items securely recycled for manufacture!
Please, No Household Appliances:
Vacuum Cleaners, Toasters, Ovens, Etc.
Also no lights of any kind, no batteries
Where to go to drop off the approved items?
Los Gatos/Saratoga
214 Los Gatos-Saratoga Rd.
Los Gatos 408-335-1400
Los Altos/Palo Alto
369 S. San Antonio Rd.
Los Altos 650-947-2900
Santa Cruz
2407 Porter St. #150
Soquel 831-460-1100
Service Provided by
GreenMouse, Inc. a CA State Approved Col lector , CEW ID# 103153
442 Reynolds Ci rcle, San Jose, CA 95112
(408) 464-9999
www.greenmouse.com
In recent months and years, Los Gatos has seen many beloved shops and restraunts close their doors - sometimes due to rents being raised and other times due to business just not being good enough to warrant the continuation of the businesses. But in May, we will see the expansion of one family owned local eatery business whose first location in downtown San Jose in 2010 was so successful that it can now open in downtown Los Gatos too. That's quick growth!
Tasty Argentine inspired empanadas will be served at The Mmoon at 81 West Main Street, adjacent to the Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company (a location that has been home to many businesses over the last 10-20 years). The opening is planned for the week of May 14th.
The press release quotes co-founder Mike Mendez as saying "“We are excited to have the opportunity to open our second store in Los Gatos. We have learned over the past year that empanadas are new to many people and we look forward to bringing a small taste of Argentina to a wonderful community.”
I asked DeLayne Achee, who told me about the opening of The Mmoon, what they attributed to their success and she replied in her email that "The Mmoon is a new concept that has been well received by the community. We focus on strong values: great food, great service and clean bathrooms, and we have a very strong marketing infrastructure both online and offline. These values are what have helped us succeed and open a second location!"
Although I haven't yet tried their food, I can see that the marketing is good. They're getting the word out via press releases and are backing it up with Twitter and Facebook exposure too. You can find them online here:
Tonight at the Belwood Cabaña in east Los Gatos, there was a community meeting of neighbors with a panel of officials to discuss the explosion at the yard on Westhill and Belblossom on March 5th. Officials included Sgt Kerry Harris from the Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police Department, two men from P G & E (one named Tamon) and a representative from the county fire department. Jim and I arrived about 1-2 minutes late so unfortunately I missed some of the names. (My apologies to the panelists whose names I missed.)
About 50 neighbors gathered at 7:30pm to this not-so-well publicized event (it was mentioned on the Belwood of Los Gatos blog, the private Belwood-Belgatos neighborhood Nextdoor site and the Facebook group but did not make the local papers or even the edition of The Bellringer which was delivered to residents today). Those of us who attended generally expected to learn what exactly had happened to cause the explosion. Instead, we learned that P G and E has determined that it was not caused by natural gas (their arena) and therefore their investigation is closed as they are not the right entity to investigate other causes. The Town of Los Gatos appears to have done exactly nothing beyond the original police report (and of course, sending Sgt Harris over tonight, which was very much appreciated).
Do you love a good mystery, a good scavenger hunt, or a good fundraiser? Now's your chance to join in the fun and support the incredibly good work of Eastfield Ming Quong by participating in the 5th annual Silicon Valley Caper benefit on Sunday, May 20th from 11:30am to 4:30pm at The Opera House in Los Gatos. (You will not be indoors the whole time - check the website below for more details.)
Register in groups and enjoy the day in downtown Los Gatos together!
If you are not familiar with the good work of Eastfield Ming Quong, it's a non-profit agency which helps children in crisis. EMQ has some services and facilities here in Los Gatos but serves all of Santa Clara County. You can read about EMQ at emqff.org.
Below please find the statistics and numbers for house sales in the town of Los Gatos (95030 and 95032) which closed in the month of February. Month over month, movement in the market is not too surprising. But year over year - wow - we are seeing a VERY big jump! The median sales price was up 14% year over year and the average up 90% year over year. This despite the rise in inventory - but days on market are shrinking. Although prices are up, the list price to sales price ratio fell - so overall, it's a cooler market.
Also some mixed numbers, but overall, a tremendous improvement in both pricing and number of sales. A very welcome change for condo owners wanting to sell!
Big improvement over last month for number of sales & list price to sales price ratio. The mountain properties usually sell much slower, and have a softer market generally, than homes in town or on the valley floor. February's sales are still low compared to a year ago, and so's the list price to sales price ratio, but we'll take any positive trends we can get.
Trends At a Glance
Feb 2012
Previous Month
Year-over Year
Median Price
$503,000
$675,000 (-25.5%)
$682,500 (-26.3%)
Average Price
$565,857
$518,333 (+9.2%)
$756,667 (-25.2%)
No. of Sales
7
3 (+133.3%)
6 (+16.7%)
Pending Properties
11
10 (+10.0%)
14 (-21.4%)
Active
24
25 (-4.0%)
18 (+33.3%)
Sale vs. List Price
93.8%
88.7% (+5.7%)
97.0% (-3.4%)
Days on Market
112
97 (+15.5%)
212 (-47.2%)
Altos Live Charts for Los Gatos 95030 and 95032 plus Los Gatos Mountains 95033 and Monte Sereno Real Estate
Next please enjoy the live Altos charts, which are updated automatically each week - each segment is a little different than the others (and the reports would be more diverse still if we broke these down further, by price quartile - - sign up below if you want these delivered to you via email each week).
As you can see, pricing is stronger in 95030 than in 95032. This may be due to the schools (only a little of 95030 is in the Campbell Union High School District, but a larger portion of 95032 is). The strong Los Gatos schools are a major driver of desireability - but not the only one. Many people want to have the "walk to town" element, even if their kids are in private schools.
An exhibit on the Ming Quong Home is on display at the History Museum of Los Gatos through July 15, 2012. "Radiant Light: Memories from the Ming Quong Home in Los Gatos" has been ongoing since mid February and some events have already taken place, but two more are still to come in May (info below).
Ming Quong's history is gutsy and inspiring. Back in the days of San Francisco's Barbary Coast, from the middle 1800s (Gold Rush) through the early 1900s, human trafficing was in full swing by the Tong, a Chinese mob. Chinese girls, some as young as 6 years old, were kidnapped and brought to San Francisco and made to live as slaves or prostitutes. A very brave group of Presbyterian women not only created a rescue mission, Ming Quong (Radiant Light in Cantonese) in 1874, but also helped to find, move and hide rescued girls from the Tong when members came looking for them.
Over time, various homes sprung up, in part for the different age group of these exploited kids and in part, from what I understand, to keep some of them hidden when the Tong came looking. In addition to the original rescue mission at 920 Sacramento Street in San Francisco, eventually there were more houses in Menlo Park, Oakland (a home designed in 1925 by famed architect Julia Morgan - bought by Mills College in 1936), Marin County and Los Gatos (took over when the Oakland location was sold to Mills) - as locals probably know. The Los Gatos site is the former Spreckles family summer estate.
There's a great little blurb on Ming Quong's history at the First Charity Cars site. It does not mention how these incredible ladies sometimes had to sneak around dangerous areas to locate these girls, shuffle them around, or hide them from the Tong over and over. (I am amazed at the thought of this: imagine this group of church ladies taking on the Tong!)
These were not "wayward girls", but victims of crime. Because many came over young and without an education, they didn't have survival skills. Part of life at Ming Quong included education in trades, such as sewing, so that they could support themselves as adults.
Eventually, the sex slave and prostitution ring of the Tong was broken. The needs of children in the area changed, and so too, did the work of Ming Quong. It merged with other great organizations to serve disadvantaged children and is very much an important member of life in Los Gatos, Silicon Valley, and the San Francisco Bay Area today.
What was life like for these children? There were probably language issues, especially in the earliest decades, to say nothing of cultural and personal challenges from the abuse. Memories and photos will be shared at the exhibit in Los Gatos. This is a very worthy organization to get to know better, and I am looking forward to visiting it soon.
May 12 & May 19th, a film and discussion about exhibit themes will take place. No cost!
75 Church St
Los Gatos, CA 95030
direct: 408.395.7375
Open Wednesdays - Sunday, 11am - 5pm
Donate gently used goods, find a bargain or volunteer at the Happy Dragon Thrift Shop or shop for new items or volunteer at The Butter Paddle, both in downtown Los Gatos. Find locations & hours on the EMQ website page for shopping.
Update to this story: at a community meeting in Belwood on March 26, it was revealed that the cause of the blast remains unknown, despite earlier reports that it was due to turpentine on the ground. Residents are very concerned. Please read about the meeting, and see photos, on the Belwood of Los Gatos blog via this link.
Yesterday at around 2pm, a large, explosive sound rocked the Belwood, Belgatos and Surmont areas of east Los Gatos. The thundering noise sounded to me like a transformer blowing out - but worse (I was walking down Bacigalupi with my dog at the time). Neighbors wondered what caused it: gas explosion, rifle, transformer, or what? Several of us apparently called police.
When I phoned in, I was told that the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Dept was investigating. They thought that a tree trimmer had hit a power line but weren't sure at that time.
A blog about Los Gatos real estate, homes, houses, condos, townhomes, housing market, neightborhoods, history, events, businesses, parks, schools, photos, issues, and lifestyle by Mary Pope-Handy, town resident, enthusiast and Realtor.
Mary Pope-Handy
Realtor, CRS, ABR, E-Pro
Sereno Group Real Estate
214 Los Gatos-Saratoga Road Los Gatos, CA 95030
DRE # 01153805
408 204-7673
Need clothing made, altered or hemmed? Los Gatos has a fabulous, long time resource right here in town. Tucked away in a little building across the street from Safeway sits Designer's Tailoring. Thuan Ho Dang, the seamstress (or tailor), does superb work. She and her husband, Tho, have been in business here for 27 years, since 1985.
Friendly, low key and welcoming, the owners are careful business people who recently moved their shop in from the suite adjacent to North Santa Cruz Avenue to the one next door, more interior and a little less visible, for better pricing in the same building. Their planning helps to keep prices down, something all customers appreciate.
The town of Los Gatos is seeking a few good youths to volunteer their time, energy and insights for various groups that serve the town:
The town of Los Gatos is considering a pilot program which would allow dogs to be off leash at certain parks during particular periods. The 
.jpg)
Tasty Argentine inspired empanadas will be served at The Mmoon at 81 West Main Street, adjacent to the Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company (a location that has been home to many businesses over the last 10-20 years). The opening is planned for the week of May 14th.
Do you love a good mystery, a good scavenger hunt, or a good fundraiser? Now's your chance to join in the fun and support the incredibly good work of Eastfield Ming Quong by participating in the 5th annual Silicon Valley Caper benefit on Sunday, May 20th from 11:30am to 4:30pm at The Opera House in Los Gatos. (You will not be indoors the whole time - check the website below for more details.)
An exhibit on the Ming Quong Home is on display at the 
