 |
|
|
|
Photograph by George Sakkestad
Ali Hannah, left, and Uro-Nay Ashenfelter try out the massage chairs at the newly opened Sharper Image in Los Gatos.
|
Los Gatos sharpens its image with new downtown 'toy' store
By Shari Kaplan
Before The Sharper Image opened its doors in downtown Los Gatos on April 25, all the employees were expected to play with the merchandise.
Far from engaging in child's play, they were becoming familiar with how each of the hundreds of sometimes whimsical, always innovative gadgets, tools and machines work. Otherwise, how could they help customers who don't know an ionic hair wand from a pneumatic pogo stick or an ergonomic chair massager from an electronic sound soother?
According to store manager Ray Princeau, learning firsthand about the merchandise is one of the reasons every new Sharper Image holds a week of employee training sessions before opening to the public.
"Having a product that you know and like is the best way to boost sales," Princeau says.
In Los Gatos, the training week was the capstone to the eight or nine weeks it took to transform what was once The Virtual Gallery--known for its purple pillars and quirky artwork--to the Sharper Image, located at the choice corner of N. Santa Cruz and Bean avenues.
Based on demographics culled from customers' purchases from stores, catalogs and the Sharper Image website, Princeau says Los Gatos was high on the company's list of store sites.
"The Sharper Image has been toying with the idea of getting into Los Gatos for several years. We found we had a large customer base living in the heart of Los Gatos," he says. "Some people had to drive out of their way a good 30 or 40 minutes to get to a Sharper Image before we opened."
The Los Gatos Sharper Image joins 112 stores the chain runs in 31 states. Its square footage, at more than 5,000, is greater than that of any other West Coast store, and it is the only store to utilize skylights, Princeau says.
One of the things that sets Sharper Image apart from other stores in its genre, according to Princeau, is the fact that many of the high-tech gadgets and conveniences are made by and for the company, which means Sharper Image stores are the only places these items can be found. This also enables the company to modify product lines--based on employee and customer feedback--faster and easier than would be possible if the company had to deal with a large, independent vendor.
"We can make changes in a matter of months, rather than pester a vendor for years to make improvements," he explains.
The Sharper Image is located at 105 N. Santa Cruz Ave. For business hours, call 408.354.2512.
|
|
|
|
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
