Owned by Los Gatan Ted Romero for the past 12 years and a downtown fixture for double that amount of time, the store has recently undergone some major changes, including remodeling, re-merchandising and the addition of a new business partner.

In the year following Sept. 11, Romero says, House of Brass was like the thousands of other businesses—small and large alike—that noticed a steady drop in customers and sales. Coupled with high rent, he reluctantly considered closing shop earlier this year.

That's when Cupertino resident Stan Kramer, owner of Kramer Construction, came into the picture. "Stan had been a longtime customer as a contractor, and when he heard I was going to close, he wanted to come up with a solution," Romero says.

"At first I thought, 'Oh, that's a bummer. They've been a great resource for me over the years,' " Kramer recalls. "A few days later, I thought that it would be a good location for a plumbing store.

"This is a way to help both of us. My company can bring the store extra business. And I've gotten to know a lot of designers over the years who can use Ted's merchandise," Kramer adds.

That merchandise includes fireplace tools and screens, address signs and plaques, various types of railings, free-standing and wall-mounted mailboxes, floor heat registers, miscellaneous metallic knickknacks, and hundreds of handles, knobs and pulls for doors and cabinets that range in style from antique to chic.

In order to make room for Kramer's additions to the store, Romero had to discontinue a few of House of Brass' former merchandise lines, including garden tools and accessories, birdhouses, wind chimes and stepping stones. These items are available across the street at Smith & Hawken anyway, he notes.

In their place is a mini showcase of kitchen and bathroom plumbing fixtures and supplies, such as sinks, mirrors, toilets and bathtubs, many of them manufactured by higher-end companies. One manufacturer, however, is not a company but rather an individual—Kramer's friend Tony Lynott, an etched-glass artisan who also happens to be a Los Gatan.

"A lot of homes around here are so nice, and people are willing to spend a little more to make them nice," Kramer says of why his and Romero's partnership is a good match for Los Gatos. "We want to give people a helping hand in improving their homes or redoing their bathrooms and kitchens. It's important to help people build things the right way."

"We've had a very favorable response from customers. We're looking forward to a profitable time for years to come," says Romero. He adds with a wry smile, "People still come in sometimes, saying, 'Oh! I thought you were closing!' "

House of Brass is located at 35 N. Santa Cruz Ave.