 There's a rare toy store in town whose nearest competitor is in Cambria on the Central Coast. Beyond that, "There's us and New York and not much in between," says Sierra Toy Soldier Company owner Michael Hall.
A sales job in the high-tech field brought Hall and wife, Myszka, to Cupertino 15 years ago from London, England. He brought with him his extensive toy soldier collection, which evolved into a retail side business. "We were on the web and worked out of our home," Myszka says, "but outgrew it."
A year ago they opened their store on Los Gatos Boulevard next to Crimson restaurant. They handle more than 3,000 items--2,000 of them on display in lighted glass cases lining every bit of wall and floor space in the store. Some are museum quality pieces--part of Michael's original collection--that sell for $400. A medieval Polish lancer on a showy steed has a moveable helmet visor that reveals his perfect, bearded face and piercing eyes.
While most of the figures are made of pewter, it is the artists' skill at painting that brings them to life. From the mended knee patch on the uniform of an English piper, to the thistle adorning the shield of the kilted Scottish Highlander, attention to detail is meticulous.
"We have shipments from Russia, New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong," Michael notes. "Our American GIs are made in China."
Generally, the figures are 1/32nd in scale with some 1/20th and 1/6th in scale pieces. They cover history from ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece to the American Revolution, Civil War and both World Wars. Collectors can create their own groupings. A group of four might run $85 while a single piece is $25.
"We have lots of kids from 5 up coming here and some very big kids who have never grown up," Myszka smiles. One customer has been collecting for 72 years, his first soldier made of whittled wood.
World travelers visiting San Francisco make their way to Los Gatos just to see the store. Every week there is something new to admire--whole village displays or grand battlefields.
Visit Sierra Toy Soldiers Company in Los Gatos Village Square, 15466 Los Gatos Blvd., or at www.sierratoysol
dier.com. Call 408.358.3910.
There's a new place in town to safely store all of your toy soldiers or any other items you cherish, particularly that private stash of collector wines. Stor'it of Los Gatos, located at 17443 Farley Road West off University Avenue across from Vasona Lake, is a commercial and residential self-storage facility with state-of-the-art security features.
What is noteworthy about this Stor'it is a wine storage kept at approximately 55-degrees and 70-degree relative humidity, plus safe deposit and specialty boxes in a private alarmed room. Opened last month, the facility is owned by Los Gatos resident and developer Bill Errico and his partner Jason Chartier, proprietor of Landmark Development in Cupertino. Another Los Gatos Stor'it on University Avenue, opened in 1999, is also owned by the two. They are offering a free safe deposit box to anyone signing a year lease on a mini-storage unit. Call 408.399.3333.
Two Santa Clara County natives have come to Los Gatos to help individuals map out a financial plan for their future. Their office at 59 N. Santa Cruz Ave. is called JBradley Financial. With 17 years of financial planning background between them, partners Brad Marshall, 37, and Michael Caulkins, 40, believe that helping a client identify a target is at the forefront of what they do. Whether a retired military man without a financial background or a savvy holder of a multi-million-dollar estate, Caulkins says most people do not have an organized financial plan. He can help. In the case of new estate holders, he says he can minimize an heir's exposure to lawyers and many of the resulting billable hours by supplying a proper background and an understanding of what questions to ask. If you want to learn more, call 408.395.1510.
Some kids who want to learn more about looking cool are having their hair cut and styled at Chocolate Mousse Children's Salon at 540 N. Santa Cruz Ave., next to the DMV. Owners Kerri Garcia and May Talai are going out of their way to make them feel welcome.
They specialize in all the latest styles--the longer, '70s look for boys and the flat iron tresses for girls. Garcia says her youngest customer was 2 weeks old, but she welcomes all ages. Anyone should be refreshed by the array of attention-absorbers she keeps on hand, like the video games, TVs at every station, boxes of toys, candy, stickers and the play clothes station for dressing up while you wait.
"We give first-time haircut certificates, too," says Garcia.
She and Talai opened their salon in September after a four-year absence from town. Both women had operated for 10 years before that at the popular Bunny Cuts salon until it closed. Call 408.395.8320 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.
If you have an interesting business story, call freelance columnist Suzanne Cristallo at 408.354.8353.
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