But after an almost-nine-month process of obtaining the lease at 301 N. Santa Cruz Ave., the couple will hold the grand opening of the store earlier than anticipated, on Aug. 16, juggling birthing classes with their already busy schedule. The store has been open for business, however, since the first week in August.

"Our plan was to build our family around the business and add a little more value to our lives," Tina said.

The Learning Game in Los Gatos will feature the same variety of merchandise already offered at the Plautzes' store on Stevens Creek Boulevard in Cupertino. It will specialize in educational storybooks, workbooks for children and teaching curricula, as well as supplies for teachers and educational toys. The products range from those directed at newborn and pre-school levels to advanced material for high school students. Scott said their store is a one-stop shop for the back-to-school season.

Scott comes from a sales and marketing background, and Tina has experience in operations and finance, so together they make a great team.

"We have complementary skill sets that don't overlap," Scott said. "Tina is probably the most organized person I have ever met."

The couple currently lives in the Almaden Valley but will be moving to Los Gatos soon. They said the move will make it more convenient for them to run both stores. But they also said it will allow them to be an integrated part of the community where they plan to raise their family.

"It's so rewarding to be working on a local basis, as opposed to the high-tech world where you don't always meet people face to face," Scott said.

Natalie Rogerson, who serves lunch at DeVargas Elementary School in the Cupertino Union School District, said she frequents the Cupertino store on a regular basis for materials to decorate posters and bulletin boards in the school cafeteria.

"The store is really well stocked," she said.

First-grade teacher Stacy Caudill, at Garden Gate Elementary School in Cupertino, said she'll be visiting the new store because it's convenient since she lives in Los Gatos. She said The Learning Game is always the first place she checks for everything from pocket charts and stickers to math manipulatives.

Scott said they intend the Los Gatos business to become their flagship "educational superstore." They are in the process of installing a newly designed orange and blue logo for the storefront that will fit in with the look and feel of downtown. They are also creating an upscale appearance inside the store by installing new carpet, painting the walls, adding maple-wood display cases and bringing in more than 4,000 products.

The Cupertino store, which the couple has owned for about a year, is 6,000 square feet, while the new location in Los Gatos is approximately 4,000 square feet. But Scott said they are going to optimize the use of the smaller space, still featuring the same amount of merchandise in both stores.

"We love what we do and think it's going to bring a huge value to the community," Scott said.

Los Gatos Redevelopment Manager Marty Woodworth said the previous owner of the space, Any Mountain Ltd., is subleasing the space to The Learning Game because the outdoor gear store still has five years left on its lease.

According to Woodworth, Any Mountain left the space because they were not able to stock the small store with the typical amount of merchandise available in their 20,000-square-foot stores, such as the one in Westgate Shopping Center in San Jose.