Its downtown location is convenient enough for the plumbing jobs that always seem to require three trips to finish. A stroll along the abundantly stocked aisles can be a revelation about the way we live. Among the 50,000 stocked gadgets and gizmos, there are American flags, 500 feet of electrical cable, rat traps, galvanized cleats, molding, new garden décor and every year in February, six varieties of fluffy, peeping chicks.

The 1917 building with the false front, located on the last stretch of S. Santa Cruz Avenue on the way out of town, has been selling solutions or Band Aids for household and ranch problems since 1967, when Jerry Johnson converted the old Gateway Garage and subsequent Pontiac agency into a feed company.

"We're proud of our heritage," says Ken Nelson, partner with brother Tim in the enterprise both knew as youngsters. Ken, a 1972 Leigh High School graduate, worked at the store during his senior year and for some years afterward. The five children the brothers have between them all spent after-school hours there as well.

"We still stock alfalfa, straw and bagged feeds," he says--and of course the baby chicks, which they're careful to stock long before Easter for humane reasons. Folks buy out the stock to enlarge egg-laying broods still kept at mountain ranchos, but a few hens peck around some town backyards.

So how does this quaint hometown enterprise survive in an era of big box retailers which seem to be everywhere and unique to no place?

"We pour money into inventory," Ken says. "If you don't have product, nothing else really matters." As part of the 5,000-member Ace Hardware store co-operative, the Nelsons have buying leverage. "It's how small stores compete with big chains," he adds.

As a co-op member, Rural Supply is still an independent business that can take advantage of and mold itself to the needs of the neighborhood it serves. "If we're grumpy once in a while, our customers will forgive us if they can get what they want," he says.

Ken says he can't spend a lot of time on the pairing of nuts and bolts, but he can provide lots of back-up hardware. "I think people would be very surprised at how good we are," he says.

How necessary it is comes into play when stores like Home Depot create business for themselves by suggesting projects for homeowners through glamorous displays and presentations. "Large stores create projects, but we finish them ... customers come to us because they find the warehouse store doesn't have all the parts they need to install them," he says.

While Ken admits this is a business advantage, he says his segment of the hardware industry can find it discomfiting. "We can't let the fact that the customer didn't get the faucet from us get in the way," he says.

Being part of the neighborhood also has its advantages for the store. There's a definite shift in business when the Toll House Hotel next door and the farmers market across the street bring in a new weekend crowd that eventually meanders over to the store. To give them something to window shop, the Nelsons are providing a new line of gift items, like garden decorations and Radio Flyer wagons and tricycles. "They sell really well, mostly to locals who just stroll away, pulling the wagons behind them," he says.

Rural Supply is located at 110 S. Santa Cruz Ave. Store hours are 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Call 408.354.3910.

While home rejuvenation can be accomplished by do-it-yourselfers, facial rejuvenation is best left up to professionals. There's a whole array of medical professionals at the Center for Facial Rejuvenation at 777 Knowles Ave. near the Community Hospital of Los Gatos.

The staff there is headed by Dr. Elbert T. Cheng, who performs cosmetic and facial reconstructive surgery with Dr. Jacqueline T. Cheng. The two are co-owners of the center. In addition to surgery, other procedures for cosmetic restoration include rhinoplasty, or nose surgery, liposuction, Botox injections and permanent makeup.

In the skincare center, a new face joined the staff last month: Leolani Espaniola, a licensed medical esthetician, specializes in facials, microdermabrasion and lymphatic drainage. In order to introduce Leolani to the community, the center is offering a special on microdermabrasion treatments for the month of August: buy one and get the second treatment free. Call 408.370.3223 for an appointment or visit facialplasticscenter.com.

Do you have or know about a cool new Los Gatos business, a tip on how small-town stores compete with large corporations, a unique product, a business anniversary or special event to announce? We'd love to hear about it. Contact Suzanne Cristallo at 408.354.8353 or call the Los Gatos Weekly-Times at 408.354.3110.

Suzanne Cristallo is a freelance writer and restaurant columnist living in Los Gatos.