Community Recommendations

Note: this webpage is somewhat dated and is in the process of be upgraded.  Please check that information is still accurate.

This is a collection of recommendations extracted from the eList community, green for positive :-) and brown for negative :-( , saved and organized so that you can find the name when you need it. The format is by category (i.e., "plumber", "gardener", etc.), followed by the recommended vendors, and the name of the person who have recommended them. If you have a question about the service a specific vendor provides, you can often click on the highlighted name to email those who gave the recommendations.

The recommendations have been adapted or paraphrased from posts to the eList.  The eList is the "electronic equivalent of talking with your neighbors over the back fence" service provided by the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association (WGNA).  For details on WGNA and the eList, see the website at www.wgna.net.

If you wish to recommend your favorite plumber, florist, restaurant, or whatever, please indicate your approval to quote here by including the phrase "okay to quote" in your posted recommendation. I will only post recommendations from those who are willing to stand behind their recommendations: if I'm not granted permission to include a "mailto:" link, I generally won't post the recommendation. Remember, this service is only useful if it has "content", so please send in your recommendations!

These are recommendations of individual eList subscribers,
and do not represent an endorsement by the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association.

Copyright © WGNA 2009, and not to be duplicated or extracted without prior WGNA permission.

Other sources you may want to check out include: http://www.downtownwillowglen.org/ and http://local.yahoo.com/

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Click on the headings below to jump to the topic of interest, or scroll down to view the whole list.

Acupuncture

Airport Transportation

Air Conditioning

Appliance Repair

Appraiser

Architect / Designer / Structural Engineer

Baby sitting

Bakery

Bathroom Remodeling / Refinish

Bicycles / Bike Repair

Books

Bookkeeping & Business Services

Butcher

Cabinet Maker/Carpentry

Camera Repair

Car Detailing

Car Maintenance

Carpet Cleaning

Carpet/Flooring Installer

Caterers

Cell Phones and Phone Service

Chimney/Fireplace

Chiropractor

Clock Repair

Coffee Shops; Cafes

Computer Repair

Concrete

Contractors

CPA

Credit Union

Curtains

Dance Classes

Daycare / Preschool

Deck/Arbor

Dentist

Dermatologist

Domain-name Registry:

Donations

Doors (House & Garage)

Drycleaners

Drapery

Electrician

Fencing

Financial Advisor

Firewood

Floor Refinisher

Florist

Foundations

Framing (art & pictures)

Furniture Refinishing

Garden Maint. / Landscaping / Lawns

Glass

Graphic Designer

Hair Salon / Spa

"Handyman"

Hauling

Hazardous Waste Disposal

Heating / Cooling

Home Health Care / Hospice

Home Theater / Electronics Installation

Housecleaner

Information Services / DSL

Insulation

Insurance Agents

Interior Design

Invitations/Announcements

Ironing Service

Iron Work

Jewelry Appraisal

Kitchen Remodeling

Landscaping

Lawyers

Lawyer (Estate Planning)

Locksmith

Manicure / Pedicure

Massage Therapy

Mortgage / Refinancing / Appraisals

Movers

Movies

Music / DJ

Ob-Gyn

Ophthalmologist

Optometrist

Oral Surgeon

Organizer

Othodontist

Orthopedic

Painting / Wallpaper

Pest Control

Pet Store

Pet Walking / Sitting / Grooming / Training

Photographer

Piano Mover

Piano Repair

Piano Teacher

Plasterer / Drywall / Mason

Plastic Surgeon

Plumbing / Sewer Blockage

Podiatrist

Pool Service

Printing

Remodeling

Restaurants

Roofing & Gutters

Screen Doors

Security Systems

Sewing Machine Repair

Sharpening

Shoe Repair

Solar

Sports / Sporting Goods

Summer Camp

Tax Consultant

Telecommunications

Tile Repair & Installation

Travel Agents

Trees; Tree Trimming

Tutors

TV / VCR Repair

Upholstery

Veterinarian

Video Photography

Voice Coach

Water Softeners

Web Designer

Windows

Window Washers / Blind Cleaner

Writer

Yoga

General information

~~~

Acupuncture:

·         Rick Bernard, International Center for Integrated Medicine, 1314 Lincoln Ave. Ste. 2F (Upstairs -aboved Signed and Sealed), 408-291-0179
Great guy, knows his stuff, knows Chinese medicine as well, processes insurance. 3/28/04

Air Conditioning:

·         Knoll Systems (see the ad in the Yellow Pages)
My brother in law and I both used and were very happy with their work and price. They did a great job and made efforts to find the most innocuous place for the outside unit. , 7/3/03

·         OC McDonald on San Carlos
They installed a furnace, air conditioning, removed the existing asbestos ducting, and installed modern ducts. Very professional, and they stand behind their work. I am very happy with the result. 5/18/06

·         SupremeAir, 408-376-0406
Very happy with their customer service, price and work. 5/181/06

Airport Transportation:

·         Yellow Cab driver, Ken. 408-420-2639
Ken and his wife confirm your pickup, are always early, and very friendly and courteous. 12-21-04

·         Joann Landers 408-835-2424
We used her several times over the course of time, she was consistently early; pickup from house or airport (and at the airport she comes inside and helps with the luggage). 6/30/06

Appliance Repair:

·         Andre Appliance Service #408-371-8084; Mark Andre
Just last week I had my washing machine worked on.....it's over 10 years old. He also worked on my gas stove (in the past). I have never had a problem with what he's repaired. His house call service charge is $48.00. I highly recommend him. ~DeniseR 2/25/04
:-) I second the recommendation for Andre's Repair. He and his dad have serviced appliances for me over the years. ~EvelynL 2/25/04
:-) He does good work on appliances. I’ve had him for 25 years and he’s still going strong. His father used to work with him, now he’s retired. 2/26/04
:-) Wholeheartedly endorse. 6/22/04

·         Norway Appliance Service, John Aiken @ 408 374-3357
Was recommended to me by a neighbor. John inspected my refrigerator and advised me not to waste money on a repair. Seemed very knowledgeable and was honest. , 3/19/04

·         Mike Katz with Cool Kat Appliance Repair 408-410-6193
Great at making an appointment very soon after I called him, and as soon as the part came in, he arranged the second visit to install it. 9/5/04

·         Ser-Tech Electronics Repair, 1427 Branham Lane, 267-3288
He will never do the work without telling your costs, relative cost to replace, options either! 1-28-05
:-) I agree with Deb about Ser-Tech. Norm is his name. They're at Branham and Jarvis, right by the 7/11. He's the best and very reasonable. 1-28-05

·         Paul Choate at West Coast Svcs 408-559-6170
Is very good. 11 May 2005

·         Lara's Appliance Repair
Quick, efficient, polite. 5/24/06

·         Appliance Experts, 408-294-2698
did good work for us from time to time. 8/31/06

·         Willow Glen Appliance Service, 408-298-1569
Abe is the owner and does all the repairs. He has fixed every type of appliance for us and we were always completely satisfied. He is reliable and does a great job and usually is available same day. 8/31/06

·         All Gas Appliance, 510-393-4281
a year later I'm still very happy with the work he did on my stove. 9/30/06

Appraiser:

·         Rapid Reports 408.588.0000 http://www.rapid-reports.com
Great to work with each time we needed an appraisal. 5-2-05

·         Steve Riley, 408-267-9612
He knows this area well. He is not only licensed, but certified, as well. And he's a former bank staff appraiser who really knows his stuff. 5/17/06

·         Banker's Appraisal, Tom Feasby, 408-723-4164
He is very conscientious, has a great understanding of the real estate market, and is very reasonable in cost. 5/18/06

Architect/Designer:

·         A B R Engineers, 1261 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 105, 408-280-7227
Not only were they fast, efficient and respectful to keeping the look and feel of our home, but they have helped field questions throughout the building process on "last minute" thoughts we have had on changes. 9/15/04

·         Marvin Bamburg Architects, 1176 Lincoln, 408-297-0288
Very experienced in remodels of historic and older homes - Marvin is very easy to talk with. 9/15/04

·         Rhoads House Architectural http://www.rhoadshouse.com, 165 S. Murphy Ave., #B, Sunnyvale 408-739-6789
He designed our house addition, and we loved working with him. 9/19/04
:-) He's very creative, and comes up with great ideas for how best to use the space you have available (or are adding) 2-20-05

·         Dan Winklebeck at Cornerstone Limited in Campbell, 408-370-3366, http://www.CornerstoneLimited.com
Used on several of my projects and have been very satisfied. 2-21-05

·         Mike Abler, West Designs 408 295-8179
He has repeatedly gone over and beyond for us as we go through our remodel. 8/3/05

·         Jan Kuhlmann http://www.jankuhlmann.com
She's wonderful from start (space planning, color choices, etc.) to finish. 8/3/05

·         Lynn Miller L.J. Miller Residential Design 408-254-3911
Hands down. 8/3/05

·         Robin A. MeCarthy - Arch Studio 859-8723 http://www.ram-Archstudio.com/
12-5-05

·         Michael Abler of West Designs. 295-8179 He has worked on several Willow Glen homes with wonderful results; including mine! 12-5-05

·         Tom Dack - Structural Engineer - 510-793-1130 510-894-3130
3/27/06

Baby sitting:

·         Valerie Brazelton, age 15 years old and very responsible, several years experience. She will be a sophmore in the fall at Del Mar high school. We have lived in Willow Glen for 25 years, on Keesling Ave. across from Three Flames. 6/17/03

·         Jaymee Senigaglia, 408-561-5716; email address: lavendericegrl@aol.com
age 16 and have 5 years of babysitting experience with children of all ages, including infants under 3 months. I am CPR and first aid certified for all ages. I am looking to fill as much of my time with babysitting as possible including weeknights and weekends. I always pick up messages and respond quickly as well as emails. My prices are very reasonable. 8/11/03

Bakery:

·         Aki's on Meridian
They made my wedding cake (Tiramisou!) and I was really happy with it.Unlike other wedding services I have experienced, their service, and cake, was delivered without a hitch. :) They do sampling too. 1/26/04

·         Kitten's Cakes. Phone: 408-251-4516.
Juanita Wagner did our cake and she was the only baker who could/would make the cake look exactly the way we wanted it...at about 40% of the price of the more well-known bakeries. She is a well-kept secret in the bay area. ~RSK 1/26/04

·         Dick's Bakery, on Meridian at Hamilton (near the Goodwill)
most excellent "Burnt Almond Chocolate" cake: my personal favorite for birthdays! 2/10/04

·         Flower Flour on Willow.
They do a nice job and have a Euro flair. They are also very personable... I agree Aki's is good too. ~Kathleen 1/27/04

·         Cake Recommendation Summary:
Aki's, San Jose – 7
Flour/Flower, Willow Glen – 7
Dick's, San Jose – 6
Icing on the Cake, Los Gatos – 5
Prolific Oven, Saratoga – 2
Greenlee's, San Jose – 2
Cake Expressions, San Jose – 1
Cosentino's, San Jose – 1
PW Supermarket, San Jose – 1
Cold Stone – 1
Costco – 1 9-19-05

Bathroom Remodeling / Refinish:

·         Dariusz Szatowski 408-821-5087 (Derek)
We can highly recommend Derek for both major and minor bathroom remodels. Although he is not a contractor his attention to detail and craftsmanship are second to none. He takes pride in his work and is very fair with pricing. ~David&Joanne 1/6/04

·         Rob Gamble of R & R Development, Phone: 723-8346
He renovated our bathrooms -- as well as most of our house -- and did excellent work in a timely matter, coming in on budget. He has done bathrooms and kitchens for several of our neighbors who also have been pleased. Everyone who works for him, as well as Rob, takes pride in their work and it's a pleasure to work with them. 1/6/04

·         Miracle Method (Tub refinish) 866-4898
They did a great job on an old clawfoot tub. 2-26-06

Bicycles / Bike Repair:

·         Willow Glen Bicycles , http://willowglenbicycles.com
The new owner is just superb! 5/22/06

Books:

·         Willow Glen Books, 1330 Lincoln, 298-8141
Will order any book you want and you can pick it up at their store. 3-10-06
:-) They also have a thoughtful collection of greeting cards--not your standard stuff. 3-11-06

Bookkeeping & Business Services:

·         Business Tax and Bookkeeping, 891 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, CA 95129; 408-252-6810, WWW.btbtax.com
5/27/03

·         Mary Kelly, 408-279-4860
I may be a bit biased, but my wife is an excellent bookkeeper, especially for small businesses. She's done bookkeeping for over 20 years. She also can handle many other organizational aspects of your business if you are interested. She has her own computers systems and copies of the software QuickBooks and MYOB. 8/27/03

·         Lori Adam, at Triage & Taxes; 408-568-7568; She's a CPA, too. 8/27/03

·         Goodwill Industries; www.GoodwillSanJose.com
Right here in downtown San Jose, Goodwill has a business called Production Resources that's a very underutilized resource! They can do big and small jobs ... shredding, whatever! Check out the website which describes some of the services they offer. 9/3/03

·         Hope: (www.hopeservices.org):
HOPE Rehabilitation Services -- a locally-based nonprofit organization serving the community by helping people with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities -- does production work of all types for businesses of all sorts and sizes. Check out their website for details. 9/3/03

·         Shred It, 408-944-0900
Our District uses them about twice a year. 9/4/03

·         Wesley Fachner. 408-866-2001; I highly recommend him for bookkeeping. 11/6/03

Butcher:

·         Willow Glen Meats & Smoke House, 885 Delmas Ave.
It's conveniently close by and the service there was great, very friendly and helpful. They have all kinds of meats, roasted turkey you have them thinly slice, smoked salmon, and a huge selection of sausages. The prices are pretty reasonable too. 10/13/06

Cabinet Maker/Carpentry:

·         Thatcher Woodworking. 358-2388
He excels at entertainment centers and puts in all the great gadgets and cable management if you want it. 1-11-05
:-) We are a very happy customer of Steve Thatcher, both for an entertainment center and complete kitchen cabinet replacement. I highly recommend him. 1-11-05

·         Vince Fazio, 443 Menker Ave., SJ 95128. 408-291-0688 http://www.fazioswoodworks.com
He's not cheap, but he does top-quality work. A real craftsman. 9/10/06
:-) Vince Fazio is a wonderful master carpenter who specializes in cabinets. 1-3-06

·         South Bay Door, 510-656-1945
Do it yourself cabinets – Was very pleased. 1-8-06

·         Bill Rankin, 408-893-6684
Bill was able to give us a reasonable quote and finish the work in just two days, which was perfect for us. Bill did a fantastic job of minimizing wasted baseboard and his workmanship is fantastic. 10/31/06

Camera Repair:

·         Kamera Korner. 560 S. Bascom & I-280 by SJ City College. 292-7468
4-25-05

Car Detailing:

·         Thorpe Auto Detailing, 740 Camdem Ave., Unit D, Campbell, CA 95008 408-370-3633
Have used him for over 10 years. Does a great job. 3-9-05
:-) I always feel like I'm getting a new car when I get my car back from him. 3-9-05

·         Marc DeSorbo, "Details By Marc" 408-266-8746, Cell: 408-802-5125
He does fantastic work, is competatively priced and will come to you! 3-10-05

·         California Auto Tinting and Polishing, 130 E. Sunnyoaks Ave., Campbell. 408-370-9399
Their workmanship reflects pride in all that they do. 1-24-06

·         A.J.'s Auto Detailing, 702 Coleman Avenue @Taylor 408-947-1111
does an excellent job. They have what they call a "mini detail" that is a very through cleaning inside and out, including good cleaning of the wheels, for a moderate price. 3/14/06

Car Maintenance:

·         Jiffy Lube on Saratoga Ave. in Santa Clara
:-( , 7/7/03

·         Jiffy Lube on Curtner by Safeway
:-| it is a most practical place to go - this is for oil change only; not any custom work or extra services. , 7/7/03

·         CG Automotive in Campbell 75 Cristich Ln.; 371-0418
I highly recommend Chip. Every time I brought my car in expecting something major to be broken, he assured me it was minor. In other words he had many opportunities to take advantage of me but he didn't. 7/8/03

·         Mazda Masters on El Camino near Lawrence Expwy. Ray and Larry, and their number is 408-248-9006.
I really like them: They are a little more flexible/informal about repairs to my Mazda Rx-7 Turbo. They do reliable work at reasonable cost and give good advice on repairs. They did a great job dropping a new engine into my car, too! , 8/18/03

·         Swedish Volvo 379-4822.
I have used them for 14 years. They are great. 8/18/03

·         L&T Automotive on Lincoln
My friend has an old Infinity with over 200,000 miles on it. He's been going there forever. He says the service and price is great. 8/17/03

·         BMWs: Motorspeed West in Santa Clara near Coleman. Phone #- 727-6631.
2 local San Jose brothers own it and they are honest, respectful (when you say you hear a funny noise they don't look at you like you're crazy) and talented. , 1/13/04
:-) Bill at Motorspeed West is wonderful. Very honest and reasonable. I believe they only service BMWs and Mercedes. 1/13/04

·         Swedish Auto Factory on Martin 408-241-7222
We've been taking our Saab there for at least 10 years and Volvo for 2 or 3. Great people to work with. ~ 3/17/04

·         All Swedish Auto Service on Railroad Ave in Campbell
several people recommended them to me: They're good, VERY thorough (translate: picky). I trust Frank, the manager. ~Nancy 3/18/04

·         Trafalgar at 595 Taylor St., 998-7086
When I had my classic '76 Jaguar XJ6, I took it there where I got excellent service and reasonable charges. Rich had worked on the car for the previous owner and came highly recommended. His place wasn't pretty and he wasn't fast but he was reliable and responsible. My Jaguar never broke down which was unheard of in our Jaguar club - I attributed it to Rich. ~CassieA 4/9/04

·         Custom Paint Finish in Santa Clara 408-727-1817
They did a great job and were very reasonable. 8/20/04

·         Pan American Body Shop, 555 Burke St (near the Costo on Senter Road), 408-289-8745
I had a great experience. 8/21/04

·         A-Superior Collision Shop, 300 Railway Avenue, Campbell CA, 408-379-0505
Very pleased with the repair. 3-10-05

·         AB Auto Body, 349 Lincoln, 284-9447
The repairs were top notch. 3/6/05

·         Koss Collision Center (298-5000). (off of Little Orchard between Curtner and Alma).
Car looked great, service was professional, and the shop was convenient to Willow Glen. 5-26-05

·         WG Union 76 on Willow at Meridian
We've been pleased. 7/13/05
:-) They are straight forward with the costs and the labor is very well priced. 11-9-05
:-) We have used them for years. Honest and prices are competative. 4/11/06
;-) I have taken many cars there for general auto repairs over the years. He will let you know if a problem is not one should handle, and stands behind his work. 4/12/06

·         Sharon Smith of Sharon's Auto near Taylor on Stockton Street. 408-294-6206
7/13/05

·         Zeke at G.I.C. at 375 Bird Avenue across from OSH. 408-279-5510
He's honest, trustworthy and an all around good guy. 7/14/05

·         Long's Auto Tech, 1778 Smith Ave. (off Phelan, between 7th & 10th), 408-993-8707
We have always been completely satisfied. 7/13/05

·         A &A Auto Service on 3rd Street. Call Dave at 292-5901
I wouldn't go anywhere else. 7/14/05

·         Leale's Auto Repair on Keyes St near 12th
The prices are on the low end of the scale for very good work. 7/15/05

·         Tire Outlet 408-294-1836
He is a great resource for tires, brakes, suspensions and also does some general auto repair. Very honest and fair prices make this a great place to go. 4/12/06

·         Smog Man, Auzerais Ave.
When I took my car in, it passed w/ flying colors. Mention that you were referred by the eList and you get a discount! 5/3/06
:-) It was convenient and and I got a discount when I mentioned the elist. 8/22/06
:-) I have used Smog Man at Lincoln and Auzerais twice now, it's run by a very nice young man who is efficient and friendly. 12/3/06

·         Springer Auto Body 408-436-9600
Does an excellent job and keeps you informed of the progress of your car on a weekly basis. 6/14/06

·         German Motor Specialist, 408-522-9520
This place is clean, fair/honest and consistently less expensive than the BMW dealerships. 7/26/06

·         Bavarian Motorsport, 408-956-1662
He does great work on my car. 7/26/06

·         Wheel Works - various locations
Not the cheapest but good selection. 9/13/06

Carpet Cleaning:

·         Mr. Peabody's 408-254-1949
They were recommended to me via this e-list. Used 'em a few mos. ago. Did a good job; fair pricing. 7/21/03
:-) We have been EXTREMELY pleased with Mr. Peabody's carpet cleaning. They take pride in a job well done. They are extremely fast, and are best known for their strong extractors that leave the carpet nearly dry when they leave. If any spots reappear after it dries, they will happily return to give it another shot. 2/29/04
:-) website: www.mrpeabodys.com.
The carpets always look great and spots do not return. 7/28/05

·         San Jose Dry Carpet Cleaners: Larry Ruzzo at 408-448- 3636; web site at: http://www.sanjosedrycarpetcleaners.com/
I have had great success with them. They were very professional and went the extra mile to make my carpet right. They also gave me helpful hints on maintaining my carpets. I recommend them highly! 12/22/06
:-) Does excellent work on carpets 7/28/05
:-) He did a great job cleaning the carpets and the price was very reasonable. 11/11/06
:-) Our carpet was so badly soiled I thought we would have to replace it. After Larry was through it looks almost like new again. 12/22/06

·         Castles & Cottages
dying the bleached carpet back to match. [C&C] owner came right away and was able to match the color perfectly. 8/5/03

·         Roberto's Carpet Cleaning.
We have a few rental units and have always used him: he's been great and is very honest and reasonable. ~PatC 2/27/04

·         Deluxe Dye Works, 1488 North 4th, San Jose, CA 95101 408-453-1054
They have done a wonderful job for me. 8/2/05
:-) I've also used Deluxe Dye Works for a persian area rug with good results. 3/30/06
:-) We have used Deluxe Dye Works several times with good results. They wash rugs rather than dry clean. Pickup and delivery is available but costs extra. Alternatively you can drop them off and pick them yourself. Usually takes about a week. 3/30/06

·         Joe Caginia from S&J Carpet Cleaning. Work: 408-608-5326/Cell: 408-608-5540
He’s quick, friendly and very reasonably priced. 8/20/05
:-) We were pleased with Joe Canginia. 9-10-05

·         Bio-Tech All Natural, 800-468-3971
They use an environmentally friendly, organic method to clean the carpets. Our carpets stay cleaner longer and their cost is the same as a "steam company". 11/12/06

·         The Rug Expert, 408-836-2137, http://www.therugexpert.com
I can recommend Rande Machell. 12/22/06

Carpet / Flooring Installers:

·         Manning's Floor Service: 408-504-1409
My son, Tim Manning has about 20 years carpet installation experience, and is a Certified Pergo laminate installer as well. Call him at - he's one of the good guys (but you knew I'd say that!). 10/29/03

·         Bittick’s Carpet: 408-226-0383
I've used the company myself and so have many of our clients. 8-2-04

·         Carpetworks, 4017 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. 650.424.9040.
Tim of Carpetworks has been wonderful to work with. 2-6-06

Caterers:

·         A Catered Affair 1675 Walsh Avenue, Santa Clara (formerly on Lincoln Avenue.)
They did an outstanding job on our son's wedding. They were professional and personable. The food was a-one. The compliments from the wedding guests were many. By the way, Rob, co-owner, is a Willow Glen resident. 7/25/03

·         Peachey's Catering: Cell 650-274-3372; E-mail JustPeacheyCatering@yahoo.com
I've had a great experience with them, and they're extremely competitively priced too. 7/25/03

·         Chez Leslie 377-2608
I highly recommend them! 8/3/03

·         Joanna Biondi, 356-4401 in Los Gatos
Joanna, who started Cafe Primavera, is the absolute best, 7/26/03

·         Crawford Events. 925-361-4934. Crawfordevents.com
Food and service were outstanding and we highly recommend this outfit. 2-15-05

·         Eulipia on S. 1st Street 408-280-6161
The food is great, the service excellent. 5-9-05

·         La Villa. 295-7851
Have been very happy with the meal. 5-9-05

·         Shazan Catering shazancatering@aol.com.
Extremely professional and familiar with taking care of your needs for a variety of events. 5-10-05

·         Mary Hathaway 408-242-1520
We use a personal chef and she's wonderful!. 12-19-05

·         Chef Luis 71 Saint Peter 971.8523
I highly recommend Chef Luis. 12-19—05

·         Café Primavera, caféprimavera.com/tech/catering/index.htm. 356-7093
The food is wonderful and they are extremely helpful. 2-12-06

·         Willowstone Catering, 925-984-3872, Tim Snyder
Very professional to work with, the food was amazing and so was the presentation. I highly recommend them. 5/9/06

Cell Phones and Phone Service:

·         Over the years we've had ATT (actually, the company that ATT acquired), Sprint and Nextel. Nextel quality of service has consistently been the
best. Sprint the worst. Your mileage may vary. , 9/7/03

·         I tried both AT&T and Nextel and they worked really well in our house. I had Verizon previously--the connection was terrible and a lot of calls were
dropped. I found the AT&T Nokia 3595 to have the best reception and also was the easiest to figure out how to use. 9/7/03

·         Keep a "land-wire" phone:
For emergency use in case of power failure or natural disaster, you should keep at least one simple old-fashioned phone. (Not a cordless phone, which requires 110V AC wall power.) A simple $15 Radio Shack wall phone is more likely to work in an emergency because it runs from the low-voltage DC power that comes down the phone line from your neighborhood phone central office. No wall power, no batteries. The central office is powered by batteries which are kept charged up so that the phones will work for a considerable time if there is a power failure. 9/7/03

·         Click here for a posting on "the physics of cell phones". , 9/7/03

Chimney/Fireplace:

·         "Chimney Safe" Tel. No. 1-800-881-2505
We were very satisfied. 11-11-05
:-) I just had the best experience with a extraordinary chimney sweep. 11-20-05

Chiropractor:

·         Dr Robin Kubo Manley, 1213 Meridian (at the corner of Westwood Dr ) 448-4004
Dr Robin Kubo Manley is fabulous. 1-10-05

·         Dr. James Pedreiro, 408-371-6003, Fax 408-371-6009, www.drjames.net http://www.drjames.net
Dr. James Pedreiro is wonderful! 1-10-05

·         Dr. Cree Guardino, Chiropractic Specialists, 1076 Meridian (265-2663) (just north of Willow)
She is extremely competent and very dedicated to the well-being of her patients. 1-10-05

·         Brown Family Chiropractic, 18 N. Central Ave., Campbell 370-2890
She saved me from permanent damage after a car accident - and without tons of regular appts. forever. 1-10-05

·         Dr. Patrick K. Lum, 1314 Lincoln Ave., Ste. 2F, 408-975-9753
Dr. Lum is professional, punctual, and committed to the well-being of his patients. 7/11/06

Clock / Watch Repair:

·         B & H Clock Service: 2608 Union Avenue, San Jose, CA 95124: 408-377-8042
Harold Liss used to be on Lincoln Avenue but is now on Union. He has been in business since 1960 and has worked on a few of my old clocks with marvelous results. ~PatrickF, 11/22/03
:-) I would like to second that recommendation. Harold has done lovely work for us in the past. The new shop is in the shopping center across the street from
Cosentino's (where the Happy Dayz diner is). 11/22/03
:-) And I will third it. Harold has taken care of all our clocks (wall, mantle, grandfather) for nearly 20 years and we've followed him from his former Lincoln Ave. location to his new spot. He's always done a wonderful job. The man really knows his timepieces. 11/22/03
:-) I second the recommendation on Harold @ B&H Clocks. He was on Lincoln Ave. for years and is just great. 4/14/06

·         Worldtime Certified Watchmakers, 2910 Stevens Creek Blvd., Ste #105, 408-248-9235
Very knowledgable and his prices are reasonable. 5-22-05

Coffee Shops; Cafes:

·         Flower-Flour (Willow, east of Lincoln)
My book club meets there each month and we are always thrilled with the European quality of their cakes and pastries. It is a refreshing alternative to [the chains]. 7/16/03

·         Sharky's (Lincoln, S of Willow)
Quite good food, nice people. When we mentioned we wished we could sit outside, they just pulled another table onto the sidewalk. 7/16/03

·         Elva's Coffee Stop on Lincoln near Curtner
They are really friendly, the shop is clean and nice, and the latte I had was really good. 1-27-05

Computer Repair:

·         Don Heinsen: 408-559-4000.
He's excellent.He's in W.G.I've used him many times over the last yr. ~Larry R, 1/12/04
:-) We had a network problem over the weekend. Don came over Sunday, diagnosed the problem and fixed it promptly for a very fair charge. ~JohnF 1/19/04
:-) A huge thank you to those of you who recommended Don Heinsen (559-4000) for computer help. He 'cured' my computer yesterday of various virus problems and it has never worked better. He also showed us some protective measures to avoid these things in the future. I am not very computer savvy so this was much needed assistance. He was very nice, reasonable and extremely competent. 1/30/04
:-) Excellent for computer repair! He is very thorough, knowledgeable and good about explaining what he is doing. 9/26/04
:-) He did an awesome job, was professional, very knowledgable, fast, and very reasonably priced. 5-9- 2005
:-) I will not waste my time ever again calling any one else. 9-13-05
:-) We were very happy w/ his service! He was here very quickly, fixed the problems, and was very reasonable. 5/30/06
:-) Add my name to the fans of Don, computer repair person. He tuned up my computer software and fixed my email problem. 8/3/06
:-) Don did a great job recovering data off my bad disk, which was pretty badly damaged. I had given the data up for lost, but Don got it back for me. 8/4/06
:-) I always call him for my home computer issues. He's always come to my house and resolved my issues in 2 hours or less, and his hourly fee is reasonable to me. 8/18/06
:-) Don solved my computer problems despite my machine being old and tired - he breathed some much needed life into it. 2/6/07

·         Meridian Computers-- corner of Meridian and Hamilton between the Wolf camera and the shoe repair place.
bad parking but neighbors and I have all been very satisfied with their service. 1/14/04

·         Doug Gast
:-( He did not do the job I paid him for. He seems like a nice guy but very depressed and unreliable. 1/20/04

·         MicroComp Consulting 408-723-7667
Frank Bejan is the guy to call for computer repair! Nice guy, prompt & efficient service. ~Martha 1/20/04

·         Mike Young of "Connected Homes" (www.connectedhomes.com 892-0866 or 877 2-MY-TECH)
He was very conscientious, competent, and personable--and his rates were reasonable! 9/28/04

·         Meterora contact is Joe Coughlin at or 408-859-8141.
They can come to your location and the rates are reasonable. 9/28/04

·         EGM Systems (Computer Support Services), Susan Gore and Ralph Ezard. 408-857-1964
They have helped me tremendously with my computer problems and now everything seems to fall in place. 10/6/04

·         CompUSA for "civilians"
CompUSA headquarters selects a smaller range of solid products to carry (as opposed to a big range which includes obsolete and marginal stuff) -- and their prices are often lower. 1-3-05

·         The Geek Squad. www.geeksquad.com/main.asp
The Geek Squad is great. the system has been working great since. 1-4-05

·         Leonard Maggiore, 408-314-3078
Leonard is extremely computer savvy! 7/25/05.

·         Bong Cha 408-921-7210
Made house calls and worked until he recovered everything possible off of a completely crashed hard drive. 9-28-05

·         Caroline Alemany, 408-904-8257
Caroline is sharp, adorable and really knows her stuff..very reasonable..she came and set me up and things are running now..she is just wonderful. 8/18/06

Concrete:

·         Pacific Concrete, 286-4478; Jim Casalegno, owner
We recently had a concrete slab , and we couldn't be more pleased with the job he and his crew did for us. The bid was the most reasonably priced of
all that we received; he began the job when he said he would, and finished it on time. He did a thorough and to-code job. Throughout he was pleasant, professional, as was his crew. 7/18/03
:-) We recently had our 1100 square-foot driveway re-done. We were completely satisfied with the quality of the work, the timeliness with which it was accomplished, the attention to detail, and the professionalism of Jim himself. His is a class act, and we recommend him highly to anyone wanting to have concrete work done. , 10/17/03
:-) Jim came out for a very small job -- cut an opening in our patio to repair a burst pipe. After the pipe was repaired Jim did an incredible job of matching the existing concrete so the patch is barely noticeable. Polite, professional, high quality, reasonable price. ~KimJ 2/7/04

·         RW Construction (listed in phone book).
They've done excellent work for me. 8/6/03

·         Martin Salas at 408-234-7951.
He is redoing my front porch and walkway and has done other jobs on my street. Very professional, good price. 8/6/03
:-) I too recommend Martin Salas. He did a retaining wall for me last year,
exactly the way I wanted it done. 8/7/03

·         Rain or Shine Construction - Call Jesus Mendoza at 408-926-4700
He is very reasonable and a hard working, honest worker. Jesus did some concrete work for us a couple of years ago and it has held up
beautifully. 9/16/03

Contractors:

·         Contractor's State License Board: http://www.cslb.ca.gov/consumers/default.asp; Information on hiring a contractor: http://www.cslb.ca.gov/forms/grights.pdf

·         MyGoodContractor http://www.mygoodcontractor.com, a website created by a group of homeowners to help other Bay Area homeowners to find, recommend and evaluate quality contractors, services professionals and vendors they have worked with in the past.

·         DJM Builders Inc, Doug Mszanowski 408-896-6358
Great contractor does most work himself and subcontracts out very little. In your case it sounds like no subs would be involved. Nice guy, concientious, cleans up debris. 4/7/06

·         Arena Construction in Willow Glen, Joe Arena 408-309-9246
4/28/06

·         Hanson and Associates, 408-517-0300 Ext. 11
Can't recommend Brad Hanson of Hanson and Associates more strongly. 12/3/06

CPA:

·         Richard Smith & Associates, 408-446-5551
We've been using him for over 10 years. He's very good, his fees are competitive. 11-26-04

Credit Union:

·         Star One Credit Union, www.starone.org, Locations are in Sunnyvale by 237/Mathilda and Cupertino at DeAnza/Homestead.
I've been a member for 22 years and have never seen anything better. 1-14-06

·         San Jose Credit Union, 140 Asbury, 408-294-8800
I have found their rates to be consistently better..

Curtains:

·         The Yardstick: New location: 19511 Glen Una Drive, Saratoga; PH: 408-354-8657; Web: www.Yardstickdrapes.com.
Jack, the owner, has done a great job on my roman shades. 4/1/04

·         Calico Corners on Saratoga Ave.
They have wonderful fabrics and will make all sorts of window coverings. ~LeslieM 3/31/04

Dance Classes:

·         Nancy Doize School of Dance, 3001 Ross Ave, #6 (back of a former elementary school on the corner of Foxworthy & Ross, not far from Target) 265-4733
In their 25th year. My girls have both enjoyed. 8/27/04

Daycare / Preschool:

·         Laura Cristiani; 408-626-8453; Little Explorers Nursery: Run by my office-mate's sister. thought I'd pass on the information. 10/28/03

·         Campbell Child Development Center http://www.campbellcdc.org/
We were very happy with the school. 3-17-05

·         San Jose Parents’ Participating Nursery School on Radio Ave. 265-3202
They’ve been around for over 50 years. 3-17-05

·         Learning Academy by Blossom Hill. 723-1131
They were wonderful, very caring, and had a great music program. 5-11-05

·         Action Day on Lincoln. 266-8952
The staff there is really great and there's lots of room to play. 5-12-05

·         Tomorrow Montessori on Almaden Rd. 979-1164
Little staff turnover, a good director, and lots of varied interesting activities for the kids. 5-14-05

·         Tamien Child Care Center, 1197 Lick Ave. 408-271-1980
[Our children] love it and we love it. 2-2-06

·         Sinai Nursery School, 408-264-8486
I simply cannot say enough about Sinai Nursery School's program. 12/11/06

Deck/Arbor:

·         PSG Fencing, 408-259-5693
The crew showed up when they said they would, did a fine job, and finished a day early. 6/23/05

Dentist:

·         Michael Forster, 1670 Westwood #J (1/2 block west of Meridian, just south of Willow), 408/266-6811
professional and friendly. (5/9/03)

·         Hillsdale Dental
a great dental office go to; they really know how to make you feel special. 7/2/03

·         Mark Watson (over by good sam). 408- 356-1166
I've been going to Mark for years. Mark is (or has been) the Shark's Team dentist, and president of the local dental association. 8/12/03

·         Dr. Carey Weatherholt 264-3133
We've been goin' to him for yrs. & yrs. He's off Meridian on Willow. 8/12/03

·         Alan Robb, DDS, 971-8066. on the north side of Minnesota between Brace and Lincoln
He is great, as well as his staff. He grew up in WG and his folks are still here. He is very thorough and gentle and explains everything. I cannot say enough good things. 8/12/03

·         Dr. Yemoto. 4860 Cherry Avenue, 266-9957.
Not quite in Willow Glen. Not on my plan, but I prefer to pay the extra $$ for excellent, painless dental work. Dr. Yemoto is a wonderful dentist who has gentle hygenists. He's never tried to sell extra services. 8/12/03
:-( If this is the same Yamoto on Cherry, out by Branham: I have been hurt in his office by an assistant who wasn't trained properly. His staff, I agree, is wonderful. 8/12/03

·         Dr. Elizabeth Patrick 1660 Willow St # 2; 408-265-7000
I have been very pleased. - Schedules realistically rather than stacking people up in the waiting room; Takes the time to give choices and discuss alternative materials and techniques; Explains what she is doing as she does it. Excellent staff. She genuinely enjoys her work and takes pride in it. 5/18/06
:-) I highly recommend Elizabeth Patrick - who is also a WG neighbor! My husband, 9 yo daughter and I all recently visited her for the first time. She is so kind and knowledgeable. We love her. 2/25/04
:-) I will second that. We've been very happy with Dr. Patrick. My 4.5 year old son really likes her. 5/19/06

·         Linh Bauer, DDS1953 Hamilton Avenue 408-371-5700
Practicing since 1996; opening a new office in the WG area (moving her practice from up the peninsula to be closer to her WG home.). family & cosmetic dentistry. 8/18/03

·         Robert Gong-Guy; 408-978-1103, on Westwood right off Meridian.
We love our dentist: super, super gentle, and everyone in office is really friendly. He's in practice with his wife, Suzanne Wu. , 8/12/03

·         Peter Moosman 408-293-1487.
I highly recommend him: he's on Meridian past San Carlos. He is relatively young, but hasn't ever recommended any unneeded procedure. Also, he does all the cleaning himself. 10/23/03
:-( He started out doing that but now his assistant does most of the cleaning and she's terrible. 9/13/06

·         Bonnie Everett, DDS at 1706 Willow St. 408-264-8365
She is really great. 2/25/04

Dermatologist:

·         Menkes & Morganroth; 525 South Drive, Suite 115, Mountain View, CA 94040; 650-969-5900, Fax: 650-969-0360
I can wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Greg S. Morganroth, dermatologist. , 12/21/03

·         Anthony Badame, 2025 Forest Ave. 297-4200
Dermatologist recommendation. 1-1-06

Domain-name Registry:

·         The best interface, and most reliable registrar I've seen so far, is eNom. There are cheaper retail sites - like godaddy.com. Network Solutions or Yahoo are both most expensive as well as toughest to make changes. Please feel free to email me with the domain name questions: I'd be happy to help. , 1/25/04

·         NameSecure.com
We've used them since they started in 1995 and they have always been reliable. They have web and email forwarding included in their registration
price, which is very competitive. ~BobD 1/26/04

·         IPowerweb.com http://www.ipowerweb.com/
we use them to use for our many event sites that we do: a 12 month package is 7.95 p/mo w/free domain registration. Feel free to call us if you have any questions! 1/26/04

·         www.godaddy.com
I've been using (the #3 registrar) for a couple of years. $9 per year for new registrations; $8 to transfer. Email forwarding (i.e. forwarding name@domain.com to my personal ISP) is free and straightforward to set up. I personally had bad experiences with VeriSign (Network Solutions) and eNom. 1/26/04
:-) I, too, have had good luck w/ godaddy.com. Hosting a small personal website costs ~$4/month. 2/10/04

Donations:

·         Yarn and craft supplies: "Volunteer for Others" at the Willow Senior Center (on Lincoln, just this side of Curtner). These senior volunteers meet weekly and make all kinds of things for 5-7 retirement homes and a couple of hospitals and have almost reached the end of their stash of yarn. They also accept craft supplies.
Magazines: The Senior Center is also an excellent place to donate magazines (6 months old or newer). If you have Readers Digest Condensed books, or paperbacks that are in good condition (but can have yellowed pages) they will also take them. They have a free library for seniors and it's very active.
Books: our local Willow Glen Library. No mags, no yellowed pages. The books are sold and the money used to buy stuff for the Library. If you enter through the back door, there's a donation bin just inside the door. Books are extraordinarily cheap: $1.00 an inch (measured up the spin) and many are in pristine condition.
Clothing: I have usually donated mine to the Goodwill or Salvation Army but have recently discovered that a fellow-teacher at the Willows Senior Center attends a church which maintains a clothes-closet for the needy (not just members of the church). I like the idea of the clothes going directly to someone who can use them. So, if you're cleaning your closet and have *good* stuff to donate, email me and I can take them to him for you. 1/19/04

Doors (House & Garage):

·         Viking Door, 1060 South Fifth Street in San Jose.
All the general contractors go there and they have a great selection. 8/20/03

·         Southern Lumber on Alma and Monterey Highway
You might check with the special order department: they can order doors in all styles and sizes and it may save you some money on custom work, which could be pretty expensive for a door. 8/20/03

·         Mike Howard Garage Doors in Campbell (near Fry's) http://www.mikehowardgaragedoors.com/index.html
Their product selection and service were excellent while still reasonably priced. 1-19-05

·         Campbell Overhead door 379-2151
We have had good luck with them. 7/15/05

·         Pacheco Overhead Door, 408-294-0344
They showed on time and finished in half a day. 8/23/06

Drycleaners:

·         Lincoln Avenue Cleaners, 990 Coe Ave. 294-9157
They have never lost anything, never had anything late, and never overcharged me. 9/22/04

·         Dryclean A Plus, 2214 Lincoln (near Curtner) 723-8251
They do a great job, are consistent, and competitive with other drycleaning/laundry services. 9/22/04

·         Rex Cleaners, 60 Race St (just before The Alameda) 292-0363
They do a great job and I would recommend them highly. 3-26-05

Drapery:

·         Armando Lagunas Jr. Phone 408-730-1810 or 408-368-1583.
He is very professional, does superb work in a very neat and tidy manner and his rates are very reasonable! 2-24-05

Electrician:

·         Don Wade Electric Company, 408-377-2323
a referral from two friends; did work on my home. I was very pleased with their work and professionalism. , 9/2/02

·         Regan Kosch of Kosch electric; 248-3012; contractor's license # is 794792
He did a lot of stuff for me; I was overall satisfied with his work, and he's a 1-man shop. 6/12/03
:-) We've used Regan several times and been delighted with his work. 12-22-05

·         Jeff Davis; J D Construction; 408-445-9599 office
he and his crew were reliable, did excellent work, and were reasonably priced. 8/12/04

·         Alberto Barajas, Barajas Electric, 408-227-2074; www.barajaselectricinc.com
He's done great work for us with reasonable rates. 6/14/03

·         Joe Snell: 408-224-3674
Did a good job [in] our house 8/13/04

·         Randy Higgins, Higgins Electric, 377-8007 Cell: 394-6941
He has his contractor's license and is both reliable and quite knowledgeable. 3/22/2005

·         Chris Schaefer 408.710.1772
He’s prompt at returning calls, clean and tidy, professional and very knowledgeable. 3/22/2005

·         Onzo Electric 408-371-5441
I would use them again in a second. 3/22/2005
:-) They did a nice job. 2-11-06

·         Chris Gray, Gray Electric. 408-309-0112
He's quick and efficient and reasonably priced too! 5/23/06

·         JD Electric 408-445-9599 jdelectric1@yahoo.com
JD Electric does fine work. 9-3-06

·         Bettencourt Electric, 408-842-9846
Done very well. 1-30-06

·         Clausen Electric, 927-7332
They are professional, trust worthy and do a great job. 3-10-06

Fencing:

·         Armando's Fence: 251-7346.
I've been very pleased with the quality of his work, and especially his prices. (5/28/02)
:-( With regret I must withdraw my earlier recommendations. , 7/2/03
:-) Within the last year, Armando built a fence for me, including custom gates. In addition to providing the best pricing, he handled my custom requests courteously and fairly. Further, he provided a higher grade of fencing material than specified in the contract without charge to me. 7/2/03
:-( I do not recommend them as they left the driveway gate less secure than originally. 7/20/05
:-) Did a great job and reasonably priced. 11/30/06

·         Sierra Lumber and Fence:
We have used them twice: including a custom curved picket fence and arbor. Some boards warped and they came back and replaced them at no charge or hassle. 5/22/03
:-) Had a very good experience: Four segments of fence with two gates involving five homeowners. The job was done on schedule, expeditiously, and neatly. Looks like experience with this outfit varies with the sales rep and crew. It is a big company -- I saw something like two dozen trucks at their yard. Our salesperson, Stephen Poor, was very good at explaining alternatives -- and came by a couple of times during the job. , 7/3/03
:-( I'd be very thorough and careful with Sierra Fence, too. 7/8/03
:-) Good price. Fast work. 9/19/06

·         The Fence Man, 408-247-1797
they did a very nice job for us a couple years ago at a reasonable (midrange) price. 7/8/03
:-) Reasonable pricing and really nice work. They did one for a friend of ours as well on very short notice. 5/24/06

·         Galvan's Fencing (265-1161)
Josh went out of his way to provide great customer service. His crew is friendly. Their work was quality and they cleaned-up the area well. No complaints at all. 7/3/03
:-) Just a note to let you know Josh Galvan did a fence for us yesterday and did an excellent job. His guys were polite, well mannered and took extra care not to hurt my prized roses, peonies, etc. They arrived on time and had all the correct materials. Could not have found anyone better. I cannot speak more highly of this family owned busines. 8/1/03

·         Mr. Fence (listed in the phone book)
I just want go on record seconding the recommendation I received from a fellow WGNA e-list member. Pricing was fair. They have been on time, done excellent work, been flexible with several on-the-job changes I made and overall have been super to work with. 7/19/03

·         PSG, Inc., 408-995-3397
They installed board on board + lattice, a gate, as well as picket fencing in my front yard. It looks great, they were reliable, fast and reasonably easy to deal with. 5/24/06
:-) I had 4 bids, and they were the lowest bid of those that were recommended (another tied their bid, but was a referral from a friend of a friend....) 5/24/06

·         Squires Lumber and Fence, 408-971-9663
They have a lot of custom options. A bit fancier than Sierra, and a bit more expensive. We were quite happy with their work. 9/19/06

Financial Advisor:

·         Rich Chambers in Menlo Park, 650-323-4706
He is excellent, very thorough. 2-13-06

·         Brian King at Met Life, 925-283-8787 x 148. He has an office in Lafayette and in Campbell.
He's patient, knowledgeable, and listens very closely to your goals to help develop the best plan for your situation. 2-13-06

·         Prialta Advisors, 436-9800
Worked with Prialta Advisors for the past 10 years. I highly recommend them. ~Marie 2-13-06

·         Doug Frieson at My Money Mentor, Cupertino, 408-255-0761
We did an entire life plan and were very satisfied. 2-13-06

Firewood:

·         Mike Kane, 408-292-8469
Over the years we've gotten some good almond wood from the Escalon area delivered to our driveway. 10/28/04

Floor Refinisher/Installer:

·         Pete's Floors: Pete Anderson, at 408/998-5303
[Hardwood floors] He has worked many old and historic houses. He will go out and find old wood to match the old floor, and then fix it up right. He lives in a ~75 year old house himself, and he's an active member of the local "old house club" (for fun, check out www.VPA.org). (5/11/03, 2/29/04)

·         Dan Aruta; Floor Covering Specialist: 408-266-5898
Linoleum, vinyl tile, pre-finished hardwood, water damage repair. I highly recommend them. 7/21/03

·         Van Briggle Floors - 408-371-2003.
We added hardwood to our kitchen and family room that we wanted to match the living room. In addition, we removed a floor furnace in the living room, which required splicing in some new flooring. Van Briggle did the work, and the results were excellent! The finish, color, etc. all matched beautifully. We could not tell the difference between the old and new floors, even where the new boards were spliced with the old. (Note, the living room floor had been refinished before, so they did not sand down the entire floor, only the affected areas). 2/18/04

·         The Floor Guys 445-6927
As an interior designer I have had the pleasure to work with Joe the owner: he is great at this type of work, is reasonably priced and finishes on time. ~JanK 2/18/04

·         Donald Priest, of DL Floor Company Hardwood, 408 984-7231
He works with some contractors with the highest standards. We just called him for a quote and he came out immediately and gave a very reasonable quote for some new installation and some refinishing existing hardwood floors. 2/20/04

·         Economy Hardwood Floors, Wendy Liu at 408-489-9793
I thought they did a good job [and] their price was very reasonable. 10-22-04
:-) Did an excellent job refinishing our HW floors. 12-7-05

·         New Millennium Hardwood Floors
:-( We became very unhappy with the work. I would definitely NOT recommend this contractor. 10-22-04

·         Gutierrez Hardwood Floors 408-782-1660
These guys were moderately/fairly priced, but what impressed me so much in the interview was that the owner, Gus, was so knowledgeable. This is something that you don't want done incorrectly. 10-26-04
:-( They did a horrible job and when I called to express my dissatisfaction an appointment was made for someone to come out to inspect but they never showed. 12/13/06
:-( Definitely DO NOT use Gutierrez HW Floors. 12/13/06

·         Gary's Hardwood Floors 510-770-9924, 4408 Technology Dr, Fremont, CA 94538
They did terrific work for us. 5/30/06

·         Sean Oman 408-761-0321
He does a beautiful job and is a perfectionist. 5/30/06

·         Harrison Floors, 408-406-1847
For installation, I highly recommend Michael Terry who installed our laminate floor in June 2005. 12/23/06

Florists:

·         Flower Flour (on Willow near Bird).
She does beautiful work! ~JanK 1/26/04

·         Citti's Florist: 408-246-7272.
Christopher Citti at does absolutely fabulous work! He is located at their Santa Clara store. He does a tremendous amount of weddings here in the valley. You might want to give him a call and schedule a consultation. ~LouiseG 1/26/04

·         San Jose Florist 1375 Blossom Hill Rd. 448-1877
San Jose Florist has always done an exceptional job for me. 11-28-05

·         Kubo, Lincoln Ave.
I have purchased both the high end and low end orchids from the gentlemen at Kubo. They are very helpful both before and after sale. 5/2/06

·         Calee's Lilies, 408-559-3959, www.caleeslilies.com
Beautiful fresh flowers, gifts, and cards. The bouquet I got was gorgeous! 1/13/07

Foundations:

·         RW Construction - 723-0200.
I've been quite pleased with their work. Rob and his brother John are honest, very competent, reliable. And they are quite fair in their pricing. 8/4/03

·         Larrabee & Associates
I was pleased with their foundation work. They take care of pulling the permits and meeting w/the inspector. I liked that the owner of the company, Walt Larrabee, is the guy who goes under the house for inspections. He seemed very credible, and the city inspector signed off the work. 8/4/03
:-) They were very knowledgeable and did a great job with some foundation repair we had done when we first moved into our house. 5/24/06

·         Fred Sotelo concrete 408-971-8782
We were extremely pleased. 8/23/05

Framing (art & pictures):

·         Gallery Framing, 2053 Lincoln at Malone. 448-4897
Overwhelmingly pleased with the workmanship and care that Andy has given to my art. 11-17-04
:-) Andy does great work. I was very pleased with the quality and the price. 5/22/06

·         Willow Glen Art & Frame, 1338 Lincoln. 288-5886
High quality work, good prices, and besides the custom work, there is also a wide selection of frames and artwork to choose from. 11-17-04

·         Phoenix Gallery near the Curtner/Lincoln intersection at 2293 Lincoln Avenue, 265-5620
My family and friends have been very satisfied with the services of the Phoenix Gallery over the years. 11-18-04

Furniture Refinishing:

·         Micheal at Proper Wood Finishing, 1056 Evelyn, #5, in Sunnyvale near Mary Ave. Pager - 408.383.8803; Office - 408.732.3330
He's done some of the cherry-finished pieces of my bedroom set that were damaged during a move. The damage looked pretty bad to me, so I was surprised to see how well Michael was able to repair it. Note: if he says he'll have it in 4 weeks, call him during weeks 2 and 3 for a "friendly chat" about the status of the work. 7/3/03

·         Pete the Caner 377-7307.
He runs a refinishing business under a different name but same number. Bic's? He has done reasonably-priced caning for me, and I can recommend him for that. 1/26/04

·         Dunne's: 293-9895; off Curtner near Monterey Road

·         We have done a few pieces with him. He built some new dining room chairs to replace some lost ones for our antique dining room set. He was great. 1/27/04

Garden Maintenance/Landscaping/Lawns:

Master Gardener's Hot Line at 408-299-2638 M-F 9:30-12:30.

·         Lee Del Canto 408-266-3333: Irrigation repair:
He really knows his stuff, is reliable and reasonable. , 9/8/03
:-) I found him to be excellent: Good rates, quality job, timely service. 4/22/06
:-) His charges are reasonable. He's already on the recommendations list, just wanted to update. 5/3/06
:-( He did not fix my sprinkler valve problem, charged $40, and did not return my phone call to follow up. 7/15/06
:-) Lee came out promptly, investigated two leak situations and fixed both very quickly. 7/15/06

·         John Leatherman 408-832-6649 He's our handyman; he repaired our sprinklers, and did a great job. 6/12/03

·         All-Pro Landscape Maintenance: Weekly Yard Care Service 408-674-9165
I highly recommend the following landscaper. He's very meticulous, does great work!! 6/23/03

·         Paul Norton, lawn services: 408-266-5056, 408-807-6336, glaeration@aol.com
he recently performed aeration to relieve soil compaction, dethatching, fertilizing, and planting new grass seed as needed: After 3 weeks, I can see that our lawn looks lovely; well worth the $150. 6/20/03

·         Viera Landscaping: John Viera at 267-5623
I have used them for about 10 years. They do decks, fences and patios. Meticulous, professional work and good clean up. Competitively priced. 7/3/03

·         Steve Campana 408.396.4848
We used him to relandscape our yard. The sod and landscaping is lovely. He was very professional and finished the project on time. ~RobinT 3/19/04

·         Horticulture Plus (local SJ company) 408/ 279-1993
For landscaping needs, I'd recommend Dominique and her team: they have done several projects for me over the past 4 years including pavers, sod, maintenance, drip systems, plant selection and fence repair. Prices are reasonable and they are reliable. 3/19/04

·         John Buerk 408-265-8855
We used John to landscape our yard and were very pleased with his work. He also installed some drainage as part of the project. ~KevinA 3/20/04
:-) He's been responsive, does work ahead of schedule, reasonably priced. 6/12/06

·         EarthCare Landscaping 408 871-2792
Totally organic soil amendments; installed drip and planted natives. I have used them several times now. ~ 5/27/04

·         Candice Stein. 408-297-8873
She does the design then recommends landscape contractors to work with to implement the design. Turned out much less expensive than a full landscape architect/contractor. 1/6/07
:-) We also used her for our backyard and are very pleased with the results and are planning to call her to redo our front. 1/7/07

·         Reynaldo Nevarez 281-9442
Did a good and very reasonable job on a drip system for us, limited English but he knows his stuff. 2-7-05

·         By the Yard (408-294-1414)
Matt Slattery installed our sprinkler system. We have been very happy with his work. 2-8-05

·         Hector Gonzalez 209-9923
Does a wonderful job for not only us but 2 other neighbors on our street. 8/6/06
:-( 'Buyer beware!'...will give low bid, only to ask for additional funds as the project progresses. Not trustworthy. 9/1/05

·         Moses Aguayo 408-858-3590
He takes marvelous care of our yard, he's reliable, and reasonably priced. ~ 4-4-05

·         Earl at Cannon Garden Maintenance 408- 294-4055.
We've been very happy with him<. >~jon ann 4-12-05

·         Evergreen Landscaping Jay Fettgatter, cell 408-605-1908
Did excellent work. 7/30/05

·         Rudy Robles Landscaping,1421 Richards Ave., San Jose 408-275-6940
He has a landscaping contractor's license. 8/3/05

·         Teri Ravel Kane, Landscape Architect, 408-266-1662.
We found her to be knowledgeable, flexible, and creative (and we really like our backyard!). 1-7-06

·         Sacred Places,
He created a beautiful landscaped area in our backyard and now he's doing the front. He always delivers when he says he will and he's great at creating something out of basically nothing. 5/11/06

·         Hector Gonzalez, 209-9923
He has never missed a day. Is great with pruning roses and Japanese Maple trees. He does sprinkler repair and landscaping as well. 5/11/06

·         James Galvin, 408-234-0422
He is very personable, quite knowledgable about working with plants and has good ideas. 5/28/06

·         Anshutz Landscaping, http://www.anshutz-landscaping-inc.com
We were/are very satisfied with the quality of work he did. 8/30/06

·         Shamrock Landscaping, 408-239-1054

·         He has been prompt, neat, and easy to work with. His crews are quiet and very polite. I would recommend him for any landscaping job. 8/30/06

Glass:

·         Santa Teresa Glass; 155 Blossom Hill Rd.; San Jose, CA 95123 408/926-9449
Reliable, excellent work and service! If there's a problem, it's taken care of promptly and cheerfully! 8/30/03

·         Willow Glen Glass
:-( I spent nearly 2 weeks just waiting for the quote and answers to my phone calls! 9/3/03
:-) They were professional, fast, clean and reasonably priced. We highly recommend this company. 10/2/06

·         C&Z Glass.
I am sorry to say I will no longer be doing business with this company. 1/16/04

·         Glass Depot, 408-265-2929
I recently had to repair a car window and tried Glass Depot. I am very pleased with the price and the service. Very nice waiting area also. 7/17/06

·         5 Star windows
They installed a sliding glass patio door and did a great job. The door looks good and works well. 5 Star carries different brands and they will tell you the pros and cons of each. We also got a rebate from PGE for installing energy efficient products. 2/10/04
:-) They did a fine job in designing windows that matched the rest of the house, while meeting the current egress codes. All in all a great company to deal with. 7/17/06

·         All Star Glass, 408-358-7675
They're located in Los Gatos and come to your car to replace the windshield. Very reasonably priced, too. 2/13/07

Graphic Designer:

·         Five O'Clock Design 408 998 3292 amanda@fiveoclockdesign.com
She is excellent! Wonderful person, and creates wonderful work. As we are just a "husband and wife" business, she has been very flexible with us. 6/11/04

Hair Salon / Spa:

·         Jennifer Bailey, FAUX Salon, in downtown Campbell 378-FAUX (378-3289)
I can recommend her without hesitation: every time I get my hair cut, I get comments from friends to co-workers to people in line at the grocery store. She is talented and creative. , 6/25/03

·         Marlene Moses at Hair Affair in Princeton Plaza (Mervyns Blossom Hill) 264-9222
I have had wonderful haircuts from her for several years. She is quite good and quite reasonable. 6/25/03

·         Marcie Krupicka at the George K Salon, 21580 Valley Green Dr., Cupertino 408-257-8772
Marcie is definitely THE best. 9/4/04

·         Heaven 11 Spa/Hair Studio, 2119 Lincoln 267-6711
I recommend this salon to anyone wanting great treatment in a relaxing atmosphere. 1-7-05

·         La Concha Hair Salon & Spa, 1042 Lincoln, 408-286-8612
I have purchased several gift certificates to La Concha for friends and family, and they have all loved it. 1-11-05

·         Patti Keating, City Savvy Salon on the corner of Campbell and Bascom. 377-4122
Is the BEST [colorist]! 1-27-05

·         Carolyn Hart at Salon Rache in the Pruneyard. 266-7006. Another great colorist and stylist. 1-27-05

"Handyman":

·         John Leatherman, "Your Local Handyman": 408/832-6649.
I highly recommend John as a great handyman, and both reliable and affordable. He usually gets jobs done faster and less expensive than his estimates! His rate is $55/hr, well worth it! 12/20/02
:-) I agree. (5/9/03)

·         Tom Castillo; home 408 448 4593 day 650 723 0918.
(day job, HR at Stanford, by night head of a band of merrie handyfolk ... excellent for small jobs). Tom's people have done painting, deck and fencework for us in the past, and lots of things for friends of ours over the years. 11/27/06
:-) He has a day job at Stanford, but he and a merrie band of "moonlighters" always did fab work for us. 5/30/06

·         Rudy Maldonado - Mobile: 250-2133 -- Yardwork
Rudy and his small team of workers have done planting, lifting, simple handy-work for us for many years. Reasonable rates. Dependable workers. , 9/10/03

·         Dave Slattery: phone 294-6263 or cell: 314-1998; email "General Handyman Services-Reasonable Rates". And a long-time Willow Glen resident. 10/30/03
:-) I would like to add my experience with Dave Slattery, too. He did a great job for us. 2/7/04
:-) Dave came to our house on Monday and did some kitchen faucet work for us. He showed up when promised, did a great job, and charged a very reasonable rate. We second Larry's recommendation. 2/4/04
:-) He is a good handyman. 3/21/2005

·         installing Christmas Lights: Christmas Concepts: Clint Marsh: 408-762-2050
He will come out and give you an estimate, and will make an appointment to come back and do the installation itself. Call now and get on the calendar. He books up as it gets closer to Christmas. 11/11/03

·         David Stagg 650-386-6650.
I was recommended him by a Very Fussy realtor. If he can make Her Happy you and I should be delighted. He is very professional and has a great background in electrical contracting and plumbing. ~JaniceL 2/2/04

·         Carlos Castro: Contact under Ray Mann I was more than pleased with his work and am pleased to highly recommend him. 7-28-04

·         Stephen Larsen 408/924-0669
I found a wonderful Willow Glen man who does yard work, odd jobs and some handyman work. He shows up when he says he will, calls the night before to confirm, and is personable and easy to work with. 9/15/04

·         Tony Martinez, AJM Construction, San Jose, 408-569-6990
Excellent, does-everything-kind-of guy. Reasonable Rates. Tony has replaced my plumbing with copper pipes, installed a new brick driveway and fixed my sprinkler system. Extremely thorough and careful. 10-4-04

·         South Bay Handyman Service, Scott & Brandon, 408-966-6677 or 469-9577
They redid my family room and did a beautiful job of it. They also redid a walkway in my back yard out of reused stones and pavers. They are also very friendly and extremely reliable. 11-11-04

·         Mark Hughes at 408-358-8211
Experienced with wood gutters and saving wood windows. He does house painting too. 11-17-04

·         Scott Salzer 966-6677 () & Brandon Zanoni -306-2114
They are quite good and very neat in their work. 3/21/2005

·         Steve Schlee, 313-2333
Knows his stuff. 3-21-06

Hauling:

·         Reasonable Hauling (408-561-9119)
Always gives me a fair price and takes the stuff right on the spot. 2-11-06

Hazardous Waste Disposal from Household:

·         County Department of Environmental Health http://www.hhw.org/content/0,4745,sid=11383&chid=15227&ccid=499336,00.html
You make an appointment with them for a Saturday drop off of household hazardous waste and just drive over. They do it over near Spartan Stadium in San Jose and near Scott and San Tomas in Santa Clara depending on the weekend. When you go you never get out of your car, you just pop the trunk and drive through, they take it out and you go on your way. Don't be discouraged by a long line because it really moves very quickly.

Heating / Cooling:

·         Knoll Systems
We used them and were very happy with their work and price. (6/3/03)

·         A & H Heating 279-0722
They were terrific. 7/20/05

·         AAA Furnace and Air Conditioning. 408-264-0585
Owned by a couple of neighbors on my street, and they do a reputable job. 11-19-05

·         Hal Walker cell # 408- 348-7271
I found him to be knowledgeable, reliable, and professional when installing a Takagi tankless water heater. 12-31-05

·         Jetson Mechanical 408-230-5355
Very highly recommend Joe Torres. 1-5-06

·         Allied Aire, 408-934-8844
They showed up on time, were very knowledgeable with their work (had to troubleshoot one problem for us), and were very personable. I highly recommend them. 1/5/07
:-) Having been completely satisfied with the job they did, I had them install air conditioning in my present home in Willow Glen. 1/5/07

·         Nothing But Air, 408-257-4000
I have recommended to several friends and family and everyone has had a great positive experience. 1/5/07

Home Health Care / Hospice:

·         Council on Aging Silicon Valley, 2115 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126. Phone : 408-296-8290. Toll Free : 1-800-510-2020. email: Web: http://www.scccoa.org/index.html

·         A1care, 408-995-3300.
They're wonderful folks who really care about their clients. 1-26-06

·         Pathways 408-773-4200
I wanted to add them to the recommendations list because I can't imagine anyone better. 3/20/06

·         Visiting Angels 408-977-1133
We contracted with Visiting Angels for daytime help, and they were truly angels. 3/20/06

Home Theater / Electronics Installation:

·         All Things Wired, 209-830-1991, Chris Chandler
He's very good, located in Fremont. 5/7/06

Housecleaner:

·         Teresa Minero: (650) 556-9837 office, (650) 465-3747 cell.
We have two fairly large dogs and she gets along well with them. She brings a team, is dependable, no language problems, quite reasonably priced, and does a good job. 8/19/02

·         Aurora Romero: Home 295-8591, Cell 661-6376
She speaks more than enough English to understand what you want. She and her sister are good workers. (5/9/03)

·         Alice Biketi, Alicebiketi77@yahoo.com or leave messages 287-0769
I recommend her, she speaks very good English. She can also do childcare. 6/12/03

·         Mario and Dalila Ventura at 408 370-4769, mobile 408 420-4113, or .
I would like to recommend a very nice couple who have cleaned for me for about a year now. They are prompt, thorough, cheerful, reliable, licensed, speak English quite well, and work together so efficiently that I am not disturbed in my home office. I met them when I moved to WG, as they also specialize in move-in or move-out cleanings. They live in San Jose, and clean several homes in Willow Glen. 6/22/04

·         Rosalba Herrera: 408-761-1887 (cell), 408-866-0239 (home)
I've used her for 4 years and she is excellent and reasonably priced; and is open to taking on new homes. Extremely reliable and honest and hardworking. I recommend her highly. 11/18/03
:-) Rosalba and Consuelo just left my house and they did a great job - I'm very pleased. 2/4/04
:-) . I really like her. 1-26-06

·         CZ's House Cleaning Service. Colina Zavala: 408-287-7930 or cell 408-772-4036
I've had friends recommend I'm going to try them too. 2/26/04

·         Willow Glen Housekeeping: 267-4163.
They are excellent. I've seen their wk. many times. They clean my parent's house and Mr.Color T.V.in W.G. I 've cleaned carpets in vacant rentals after they have cleaned and their wk. is excellent. 2/26/04

·         Always Quality Cleaning 408-799-9882
I have been very happy with her work and her charges are consistent with the going rates. 5-28-05

·         Olinda Guerrero, 408-264-5330
She has cleaned for me, as well as for my friends, for several years, and does a very good job, is prompt, cheerful, reliable, and trustworthy and her english is good, and improving. 5/18/06

·         Dalila Cruz, 408-712-6700 (cell), 408-225-5447 (home)
Has been cleaning my house for a couple months and doing a great job. Works alone, just starting in business. 8/7/06

·         Isabel Herrera, 408-690-6297
I am extremely happy with her service and the quality of their work and the people who work with Isabel (and I'm VERY picky) ;-) 9/11/06

Information Services / DSL:

·         www.asknow.org:
a project of the librarian of the state of Ca. It's a live librarian available 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week; free. ~Janice, 2/16/03

·         Check your DSL bandwidth by running the bandwidth test at http://bandwidthplace.com/speedtest/. Pick the test titled, "for high speed ex: T1, DSL, cable".
~Lance, 7/26/02

·         phoneline: Wes Harvey, Upgrade Highway, Inc., 253-0290 www.upgradehighway.com
He switched some phone lines around for me from the back of the house to the front, etc. He was very polite, amiable, and thorough. 6/13/02

·         The Phone Man, Mike Rizzi, 408-292-8530
Mike is exceptionally concientious and talented in getting things to work. All the jobs were done on time and costs were very reasonable. He is a retired Pacific Bell guy with 28 years experience. 5/22/06

·         Don Heinsen 559-4000.
He lives in W.G., and does computer consultation and computer work. He built my computer and gave me a lot of advice and assistance on DSL and SBC. 6/30/03

·         Lajenda http://www.lajenda.com
They have helped me with my business and website. They work with small businesses and residential. 6/23/05

·         SBC DSL
I had this trouble at first. Some of this depends on the plan you are on, but after a call to their tech support they have me running at ~650k. 7/2/03

·         SBC through Raw Bandwidth
My DSL typically runs and tested at 348K. They provide exemplary service. Its more expensive than just running through SBC but they keep everything up and are always available. 7/2/03

·         DSLExtreme
I can only comment on the DSL side of their service (which was technically very good). 3/25/06

·         John Sobol, 408-832-3770
He's a certified phone technician and really knows his stuff. His prices seem fair, too. 1/11/07

Insulation:

·         All American Insulation @ 408-998-3373
Last that I knew, I'd ask for Willis Parish. 11/6/03

·         Century Insulation @ 510-790-2041
Last that I knew, I'd ask for Tuggy Makaiwi. 11/6/03

Insurance Agents:

·         Charley Coy of State Farm, 243-4400
I've used for yrs. for personal policies. Helpful & knowledgeable. 7/2/03
:-)
I also use Charley Coy for Home and Life. Great guy. Showed concern when we had a flood (water pipe burst) at our old house. Everything taken care of efficiently, and with little stress. Was able to lower our flood coverage required, since we lived in a flood plain, by showing that the chances of a flood doing serious damage are remote since we had a crawlspace. 7/2/03

·         John Striegel, Farmers Insurance, 408/265-4961, 1414 Meridian Ave, SJ 95125; insjohn@pacbell.net
very friendly, competent, and instantly able to give helpful responses. , 7/7/03

·         Allstate: the Lozon Agency, on Lincoln Ave. http://agent.allstate.com/HomePages/Homepage.asp?AC=31412&language=English
When I have needed help over the years, the Lozon staff and Allstate itself have been excellent. I really appreciate how Allstate handled a bad accident several years ago -- 24hr phone center, genuinely helpful, no runaround, no bureaucracy, no high pressure to use a certain body shop, etc. 7/3/03
:-) After troubles w/ other companies, I made one phonecall to Allstate, Lozon Agency in W-G. He sold me homeowners at a reasonable price, no hassles and in time for escrow close. 7/7/03
:-) We moved to Willow Glen last October and it wasn't easy finding an insurance company that would take us (and our "new" 80-year-old home) on as clients: other insurance companies we contacted would only take newer homes. We ended up with Allstate on Lincoln Avenue and have been very happy with them. Ron Lozon was great to work with, very knowledgeable, and returned all of my calls promptly. I'd highly recommend them. 7/8/03

·         Dennis Teifeld at Teifeld and Co.
They've handled all my company and personal lines for nearly 20 years...and that says a lot about the service...call 977-1213. 7/3/03

·         State Farm: Steve Wallraven
We've had all our coverage (homeowners, personal property, umbrella liability and auto) with him for many years and have always had excellent service. Also, State Farm is hassle free when it comes to claims. 7/9/03

Interior Design:

·         Arcadia Interiors: (650) 233-8821 Lillian
strongly recommended: very reasonably priced, flexible, focuses on small residential projects and is extremely talented. She works hard to tailor her designs and recommendations to the tastes and desires of the owner! 6/23/03

Invitations/Announcements:

·         Signed & Sealed, 1314 Lincoln Ave., Suite D, San Jose, CA 95125 Tel: 408-999-0124 http://www.signedsealed.com/
They've done several custom projects for us over the last few years and the results have been top notch. 6/7/05
:-) They do a great job. 6/7/05

Ironing Service:

·         Elizabeth (for Ironing) 408.947.0711
She has been such a help doing our ironing and it sure gets the wrinkles out of my life. 9/10/04

Iron Work:

·         Garcia's IronWorks - Joaquin Garcia 408-998-2440
Fast, fair and honest. Showed nice portfolio of his work. On our job, a front gate and two outdoor railings, he was the low bidder and delivered as promised. Neighbors subsequently used him and were equally pleased. Highly recommend. 10/22/03

·         Brian's Welding 275-9834
Brian did our gate and most of the gates and fencing in my neighborhood. He is a talented artist who listens well and comes up with excellent designs tailored to our needs. He is also an honest businessman and was a pleasure to work with. We have worked with several contractors and I can say that Brian is the first "artist" we have worked with that listens well and also provides an extremely high level of quality service. 10/21/03

Jewelry Appraisal:

·         Martin Jewelers, 1605 Meridian 266-6341
I would recommend him without reservation. 1-8-05

·         Mann Jeweler’s, 1347 Lincoln 287-7858
Very wonderful, polite, reasonable, and educated man that has assisted me several times over the last 20 years. 1-10-04
:-) I agree! Use him all the time. Outstanding Willow Glen citizen & business! 1-10-05
:-) I concur. Great experience with them on several occasions. 1-10-05

Kitchen Remodeling:

·         Top Shelf Construction Inc.: Brett Gedryn, 408-265-3238
I can wholeheartedly recommend this man! Tell him Denise sent you. . (5/29/02)

·         Granite Counters: Evan DeLao 408-621-0488
I highly recommend my contractor: replaced counter with granite tile. Since then, we have had sooo many compliments on the quality of his work. 6/25/03

·         Willow Glen Kitchen and Bath, ask for Paul. http://www.willowglen.com/ 408 293 2284
for custom cabinets. , 7/1/03
:-) We used Willow Glen Kitchen and Bath and were thrilled with the results. Paul and Randi did the design, Paul did the cabinets, and Chris Wolfgram (general contractor) did the rest. 5/2/06

·         Terry Nathanson, Nathanson & Son Construction, 408-738-0240.
His primary job's cabinetry. Check it out. 7/1/03

·         Prestige Remodel: Chris Carvalho; 408-272-0635.
I highly recommend them: great work, fair price, and ahead of schedule! 7/8/03

·         Cupertino Kitchens http://www.cupertinokitchendesign.com/construction.htm
extremely pleased with the results. They handled all aspects of the project from design to completion. They are not cheap, but they do excellent work. They kept to the schedule and kept us informed every step of the way. 7/8/03

Lawyers:

·         Roger Wintle The Heritage Law Group, 99 Almaden Blvd., Suite 710, San Jose 95113. 408-993-2100
Reasonably priced, extremely responsive, and really knows his stuff. I will definitely use his services for all my future real estate needs. 1/8/07
:-) He was excellent. 9-10-05

·         Brad Bening, of Willoughby, Stewart, and Bening, in downtown San Jose
Personal injury. I can't recommend him highly enough. 8/17/05

·         Bruce Tichinin, Inc.Morgan Hill 408-779-9194
Amazingly good experiences with my real estate attorney. He's really great! 9-11-05

·         Jeff Park, Esq. Employment Law Attorney & Mediator, Phillip J. Griego & Associates 408-293-6341
I highly recommend Jeff Park. 12-19-05

Lawyers (Estate Planning):

·         Bill McCann on Hamilton Ave. 408-269-8787
recommended lawyer for wills, living POAs, etc. 10/29/03

·         Jess Krenzel, Attorney off the Alameda, @ 243-4100
recommended lawyer for wills, living POAs, etc. 10/29/03

·         Scott Van Keulen's law firm, 1570 The Alameda, Suite 101, 408 298-1111
He has handled living trusts and wills and I have been extremely happy with him and his staff. 2-13-05

·         Jim Sunseri, 84 W. Santa Clara St #770, 275-6020
Has done our living trust and will. He is very thorough and explains all the issues very well. 2-13-05

·         Family Works 408-370-6915 Website is http://www.familyworks-law.com/
We've been very happy with Liza Hanks. 3/21/2005
:-) Just completed our estate planning documents and we absolutely loved her. 5-26-05

·         Jim Cashman at Berliner-Cohen in downtown San Jose.
3/21/2005

·         Marcia Eckley (408-866-1985) 185 Moorpark nearest Winchester
She's easy to work with and flexible. 3/21/2005

·         Carol Zolla, http://www.zollalawfirm.com/ 408-264-9822
I have been very happy with. 3/21/2005

·         Jan Fox at Hoge Fenton
Excellent. Specializes in estate planning. 8/15/05

Locksmith:

·         Allied Lock& Key: 554-8333
[new owner: Brian Skellenger]. 8/4/03

·         Baker's Locksmith on Union at Foxworthy.
One of the best: I have never had a key not work. I have used them since 1995. 8/4/03

Manicure / Pedicure:

·         Lynn’s Nails on Malone, behind the liquor store at Lincoln, 723-0291
I go to Lili, speaks good English, is very conscientious. 12-30-04

·         Gity's in Los Gatos 395-8575
She's fabulous! I've never had any problem at all. 2-18-05

·         Tam Minh Phan (Tammy) Meridian/Branham area. 408-391-6979
In addition to manicures and pedicures, she does paraffin and other soothing services for your hands and feet. 2-18-05

·         Paulette Salon on Bascom near Stokes. 408-221-1997.
Layna Goforth gives great manicures, and she's very hygienic with her tools. 10-6-05

·         Heaven Eleven (Michelle Rosendin) 2119 Lincoln, 267-6711
I can't say enough nice things about her. 2-23-06

Massage Therapy:

·         Elissa Day at Esprit Healing Center, 1058 Lincoln Ave. 408-275-6622
She really helped me after my car accident last December. 3/27/06

·         Jo Ann Lauer, 408-275-9434
The best trigger point therapist has a practice on Lincoln Ave. I have used her many times and she can fix it. 7/28/06

Mortgage / Refinancing / Appraisals:

·         Dave Machado: U.S. Bank at their Los Gatos Branch; 408-354-6676: recommended by , 11/4/03

·         Hector Aldana from Rapid Reports: www.Rapid-Reports.com 408-941-8280 or 408-941-8281: orders@Rapid-Reports.com
He has done excellent work for us on our 1st purchase, refi and 2nd purchase. He's extremely helpful, really knows his stuff and is an all-around nice guy. 11/5/03

·         Preferred Mortgage, (408-998-4343 at Parkmoor & Meridian)
Will bend over backwards for you. 2-11-06

Movers:

·         All Reasons Moving--in Santa Clara, 408 486-0663.
I've used them twice with no complaints. 8/3/03
:-) I also used them just over a year ago, and so did my sister in a much more difficult move. They did a great job for both of us. 8/3/03
:-) Our family also used All Reasons - moving from an apt to a house on one day, as well as a storage locker of other possessions on another day. There were 2 crews involved. I cannot say enough kind words about the work they did. They were all very polite, careful of our items, and helpful in the placement of large furniture in each room. We have moved a lot in the past 10 years, and this was by far the best experience we have had with a local move. If we have the need again, we wouldn't call anyone else. ~CarrieL, 1/6/04

·         Bartel's Moving Company - 7th Ave, San Jose.
We're very happy with them: Extremely professional moving staff & a great estimate, too! They far exceeded our expectations. 8/4/03

·         Jerry Wood Moving 408-275-8911
They were really good and local. They helped us move from an apartment in Sunnyvale to our house in Willow Glen. Very nice, very careful, and they kept us under budget. 6/24/06

Movies:

·         California Movie Palace on First Street, Downtown San Jose
Highly recommended for those who appreciate classic movies in an old time, elegant theater. Don't let the long ticket line discourage you. The theater holds a lot of people and the ticket line moves fast. Paid parking is directly across the street, accessible from 2nd street. 12-21-04

Music / DJ's:

·         Mindling Music: Carl carl@reachcarl.com 831.425.1075
I would highly recommend Carl, a former Willow Glen resident. ~GerriH, 11/16/03

·         Robert Kusters, Silicon DJ Mobile Entertainment: web: www.silicondj.com; email: info@silicondj.com;
phone: 408.306.3719; mail: 1702-H Meridian Ave, #245 San Jose, CA 95125
A
really fun DJ: he is also smart, well educated, a Willow Glen resident, and easily able to relate to your party goers. He can tease the first folks out onto the dance floor, quickly. Even the people who don't dance enjoy the energy when the activity begins. ~Janice 11/17/03

·         Jordan River, 408-978-0979; website www.a-dj.com
DJ extraordinaire, is available for events. 11/25/03

·         Sandy's Townhouse: http://www.entertainment-bayarea.com/musicians.shtml#sandy
On evenings and weekends, I trade in my Web hat for Musician garb. My quartet plays a variety of styles from jazz to classical, including instrumentals and/or vocals. Our group contains a cellist, a violinist, a violinist/vocalist (that's me) and a pianist. Since we do this mostly for love rather than money, we don't charge as much as other groups. 1/30/04

·         Pegasus. . Paul Hale
A friend is in the string group: We recently attended a Pegasus concert in Palo Alto and they are spectacular and are perfect for weddings and soirees. Paul did a Vivaldi CD a few years ago that is one of our favorites. ~KimJ 1/30/04

·         the Melatones: http://www.melatones.com
electric guitar/bass guitar/drum vocals trio from Berkeley, including my son as vocal/lead guitarist. Hours of original music plus Beatles and other covers. Plays at local clubs (e.g., Sharky's) and the occasional block party. Check website for tour schedule and sample MP3's. 2/11/04

·         Winchester Quartet, part of the Winchester Orchestra: Jill Hansen-Miller at 408-225-8956.
They've played weddings & receptions, inc. the entire wedding ceremony. They've also played corporate events 1/30/04

·         San Jose Wind Symphony, Jan Turnage, Business Manager 408-927-SJWS http://www.sjws.org
an amateur symphonic band of about 50 members, including a couple of us from Willow Glen in the group. I know that subsets of our group, such as a woodwind quintet, have performed for a variety of occasions: contact the SJWS.1/30/04

Ob-Gyn:

·         Los Olivos Women's Medical Clinic in Los Gatos, 408/356-0431
I've had experience with several of the OBs there and would recommend any of them. , 10/29/03
:-) I had Dr. Guderian and Dr. Trobough. They were wonderful doctors. Guderian is now retired, but I believe Dr. Trobough is still in practice and I understand that the rest of the members of the Clinic are great, too. 11/3/03

·         Eleanor Martinez on Samaritan Drive.
She is wonderful!! Very honest, very knowledgeable. , 10/30/03

Ophthalmologist:

·         Dr. Biswell at the Eye Medical Clinic, 220 Meridian 494-0500
He has been excellent and the clinic has all the services all in one place. 6/26/06

·         Dr. Sullivan at Eye Medical Clinic 220 Meridian 494-0500
5-5- 2005

Optometrist:

·         Optical Illusions: Santana Row, 408-261-1010. Great experiences with Mike Gatschet of that office ~,5/4/04

·         Visual Eyes on Lincoln is excellent. Craig 5/5/04
:-) I concur, okay to quote. 5/5/04
:-) They get my vote also. Visual Eyes has always been great to me. LindaR 5/5/04
:-) I concur. 5/5/04

Oral Surgeon:

·         Dr. Lee Walker, 14419 S. Bascom #100 Los Gatos (near 85) 408-377-5556 www.lgofs.com
8/3/05

·         Dr. Calvin Lee, 10055 Miller Ave. #105 Cupertino 408-446-5101
8/3/05

·         William John Palank, DDS – Endodontist, 505 South Dr Ste 10, Mountain View, CA 94040 (650) 964-1300
He was wonderful! 8/9/05

Organizer:

·         Keli Dietrich 408-396-1088
She is great. She's done my office several times over the past 10 years. 3/28/06

Orthodontist:

·         Nancy Gum, D.D.S., M.S.D, 3535 Ross Ave. Hillsdale (right across from Target) 269-3436
She works mostly with teens & pre-teens and they love her. ~Rhonda 1-25-05

·         Dr. Jow (Ross Ave) 266-0424
He is very personable with the kids and the parents and very gentle.Karen 12 May 2005

Orthopedic:

·         Dr. Kanel 2512 Samaritan Court, Ste. K. San Jose 95124. 408-358–5156
I took my newborn daughter to see him over a 9 month period a couple of years ago to treat a problem with her hips. He was extremely professional (and gentle with both patient and an overly worried first time mom), and my daughter’s hips are in great shape now. 2/25/04

Painting / Wallpaper:

·         Rianda Painting
We've used many times with great results. (6/5/06)
:-) I also used Rianda Painting and was VERY pleased (they're reasonably priced too). (6/9/03)

·         Greg Smith, House Painter: Work/Home: 408.229.0127, Mobile: 408.859.8083
I highly recommend him: he has painted both of the homes I've owned. He's an excellent painter and quite reasonably priced. (6/5/03)

·         Jerry Lundin of Painting Solutions and Restorations: 241-5241
Jerry did a fantastic Job! We have a typical 70 yr old Willow Glen house with clapboard siding; he ended up stripping down to the bare wood so that he could be sure the paint would adhere. He is a real craftsmen, very reliable and actually fairly reasonable. I can't recommend him highly enough! 7/14/03
:-) I would like to highly recommend him for anyone looking for an exterior painting contractor. 6/16/06

·         David Chaney - House painter - 408 460-1209.
David did an excellent job for me: he painted the exterior of my house. He is 100% reliable, extremely reasonable. He and his workers are delightful, thoughtful workers. 9/6/03

·         House Doctor Painting: Kelly McKinley, Phone: 1-800-242-4147, Pager: 408-989-8293
He did our house about 4 years ago. Excellent job, including prep work, fair/reasonable pricing. And the paint has held up quite well. 10/6/03
:-( No show on the scheduled day and no call. 4-23-05

·         Painting Solutions and Restorations (241-5241): Jerry Lundin
We recently had our house painted by Jerry: he did a fabulous job for us! We have a typical 70 yr old Willow Glen house with clapboard siding: Jerry stripped down one whole side and part of the front of the house to be sure the paint would adhere. He is very conscientious about his work. I can't recommend him highly enough! If you want someone who will take time and really do the job right (especially with old houses) he is your man. ~JeremyB 10/9/03

·         Toni Apgar - Guiliani interiors 528-8961.
Toni is an excellent faux finisher and has credits that range from the Rose Garden Home tours to amazing designs she has done in many homes around the Bay area. 11/8/03

·         Moorad Painting 408-292-1100
Tom Moorad has been doing painted concrete floors for years. He has done quite a few restaurants and works with local decorators. He also does faux and marble finishes -- he's more than a painter, he's a craftsman. He's a great guy and his prices are reasonable for the quality of work. We have been extremely pleased with everything he's done for us. 11/8/03

·         Weiby Painting 898-6542
Interior painting, great job and is timely and reasonable. 7/5/05

·         Ninette (Interior painting) 831-630-0347
Absolutely fabulous house painter. Great with color suggestions too. 8/24/04

·         Mark Hughes 408-358-8211
Done a great job on my old windows. 10-21-04

·         Frank Veloz (422-9963) We are very pleased with the results. 7/28/05

·         Dougherty painting, 408-725-1701
Did excellent work. 7/30/05

·         Olympic Painting (Luis Gallegos, 408-529-3075)
They did a really good job for us. They showed up on time and the workers were very courteous/professional. 8/24/05

·         Sam’s Painting 408-768-3296
His crew of young painters just finished the exterior of my house yesterday and did a wonderful job of it. 10/15/05

·         The Young Professionals Evan Ellithorpe at 445-8236 or his cell at 644-8752. Painter who pays professional wages forhis professional painters, he has liability and workmans comp insurance. 10/19/05

·         Fred Saenz 408-595-7855
His work is exceptional, very high quality. 3/16/06

·         Sam's Quality Painting 408-448-1777
He has painted for my family for many years - his prep work is awesome - so much time spent in getting ready and also being good! ~Margaret 3/24/06

·         Al De Shields 248-1559 Wallpaper Removal
He's a perfectionist, for which I am grateful. (Removed layers of elderly wallpaper from my place - part of ongoing renovation of my home - painted, and did some retexturing, too.) 4/10/06

·         Mirage Painting, Joe Khalid 408-590-4796
I just had the exterior of my house painted and it is gorgeous! 4/28/06

·         The Paper Doll 408-265-8699
We used Rhonda Trask Greenblat to hang wallpaper and she did an excellent job. In addition to the walls, she did a great job covering the wall vent, light switch covers & fuse box door. 6/23/06

·         MJ Painting, 408-599-0753
You can't go wrong with these guys. They were also polite, respectful and on time. 1/30/07

·         Fine Line Painting, 408-723-2242
We've used Ron to paint for us in the past and will continue to use him in the future...truly the best painter I know! 10/31/06

Pest Control:

·         Fraboni Termite in San Jose: 287-8111.
They have been around for years (father to son business) and used to do work for my parents home. They are honest, reliable and reasonable. ~BettyS 11/3/03
:-) They have inspected (and treated) my home for 40 years. ~

·         Bay Valley Pest Control 370-1603
Not only got rid of the rats (yes, we had several), but researched their access and nesting locations and did the repairs necessary to close them off, as well. 6/10/04
:-) They were excellent and absolutely no problem w/ my dog. 1-13-06
:-) Overall, they were absolutely wonderful, incredibly knowledgable, very professional. We'd recommend them in a heartbeat. 4/16/06

·         Will Power Termite Control 408-423-0000 will@WillPowerTermite.com
7/5/05

·         Chris Marinshaw with Terminix cell 483-5761
Knows his bugs! he's local, lives in WG. 7/5/05

·         Creature Catchers, 408-997-6812 or 408-315-6086
Specialized in Raccoons, skunks, opossum, gophers, squirrels, wild pigs, moles 7/19/06

·         Valley Oak Pest Control. 408-999-0933
I highly recommend Valley Oak Pest Control. We have been using them for years at our house. 1/8/07

·         Silver Creek Termite Control, 408-224-4688
They did a fine job, and were very good about working around our crazy schedule. 11/8/06

Pet Store:

·         Evergreen Pet Center, 1640 (?) E. Capitol Expressway, corner of Yerba Buena and Capital behind Blockbuster video
Their Manager & Staff are knowledgeable, responsible, and extremely caring with the animals so you won't ever end up with a sick or diseased pet from them. They support rescue groups. Their manager is on the board of the Nike Animal Rescue Foundation. And for everyday stuff, dog food, cat food, their prices can't be beat! Henry, the owner, is one of the good guys! 11/9/03

Pet Walking / Sitting / Grooming / Training:

·         Danny: 408-294-4812; ti1188@cs.com
dependable, kind, responsible neighborhood pet sitter/dog walker; a straight "A" student, 14 years old and will be entering 10th grade next year. Over the summer he would like to earn some money doing something he really enjoys..working with and caring for animals. (6/6/03)

·         Robin Rosaaen (408-297-0861 - KINGTHINGS@aol.com)
She is quite good. She can't board your pets in her home, but she can come to yours. I've used her to come by, spend time with, feed and play with my 2 dogs in my home when I've been gone, and she was quite reliable. Well recommended (8/6/03).

·         Spots near the airport.
a cageless kennel I've used in the past and they're ok.
Run 'Em Ragged Dog Daycare in Sunnyvale www.runemragged.com.
a new cageless place that just opened up and their facility looks fabulous. Over 15,000 sf, 3 different compounds, dogs are separated by size; daycare, boarding, training and grooming are all available. I'm taking our three pups there for interviews next week. 8/6/03

·         Hugz & Petz: Denise Robinson at 408-265-7537
She lives in Willow Glen. She will come to your house or take your dog(s) to her home. She is a very nice, caring woman. 8/16/03
:-) She is quite good. Runs a dog-sitting business out of her very dog-friendly home and lives here in Willow Glen. Well recommended. (8/6/03)
[from Denise:] thanks again for recommending me for petsitting.... please do know, I also petsit at other peoples homes (mainly in WG area only ) I have keys to several homes that I hold all the time. When the clients have to work late or just want me to go by and let their pet out to walk, feed, potty, I also do that.
:-) Denise takes care of my pugs when I'm out of town and does a great job. 4/2/06
:-) Denise Robinson has sat for our 2 cats and 2 dogs quite a few times. We've always returned to a happy home and pets. We all think she's great! 8/14/06

·         Golden Pet Services: Phone: 408-564-5307 golden.pet@earthlink.net
A good friend of ours has a pet-sitting business, and we may be biased, but we know she does a great job. Tell her I sent you! 10/15/03
:-) Our dogs have welcomed Becca McCracken into their lives. 7/9/04

·         LUV-N-CARE Pet & House Sitting: 408-268-6572: Ina Wallace
Our dogs love her! She gives our dogs daily walks and also does our overnights when out of town. I highly recommend her. Update: I still highly recommend Luv n Care pet sitting. 4/3/06
:-) Ina Wallace with Luv-n-Care Pet Sitting is still a wonderful, reliable and extremely thorough pet sitter. 10/5/06

·         Critter Care of Silicon Valley:
We have two cats, a dog and some fish. They even look in on my mother-in-law who lives in a back house. They have been doing great for years. 10/16/03

·         Mark's Grooming Extraordinaire, 347 Lincoln Ave. 298-6435, between San Carlos and Auzerais.
My dogs (two small ones) are always happy to be going there. My neighbors use them as well (for big dogs). 10/23/03
:-( Had a bad experience there. 3/5/05
:-) My dogs (Siberian) love to go to Mark's Grooming Extraordinaire...I wouldn’t take them anywhere else. 3-5-05
:-) Really good groomers 3-6-05

·         Madelaines in Santa Clara.
I take my lhasa apso there: $39.00 for a full grooming and I've been very happy with them. I have her on a regular 6 week schedule so she gets every 10th grooming free. 10/24/03

·         Shampoo Chez, 523 E. Campbell Ave., Campbell 95008, 379-9274
They're just wonderful to the pets. Rates are reasonable, as well. 3-5-05

·         Susan 408-978-5894.
She has experience [as pet sitter], references, and reasonable rates. 3-10-05

·         “Professional Pampering for Your Loved Ones". office: 650-948-3473, mobile: 408-460-9920, Email: Annette and the nannies that work for her are incredible! 5-8-05

·         One Day Dog Training, 1-800-906-2846.
After just three hours, I have three of the most well behaved dogs in WG. 11-16-05

·         TLC Mobile Pet Grooming 408-226-PETS
They are caring, trustworthy and reliable. I have referred many of my friends to them and there have been no complaints. ~Robin 3/31/06

·         Aussie Pet Mobile 1-800-PET-MOBI
My husband and I loved how Josh worked with our Keeshond. 3/31/06
:-( I advise you to steer away from Aussie Pet Mobile if you're thinking of having your dog groomed by a mobile outfit. Their other franchises may work fine, but the one that services our area is appalling! 11/12/06
:-) I have been using them for 3 years with no problems. The groomer, Josh, has a natural relaxed manner with pets. He always gets my tip. 11/12/06

·         Downtown Dogs http://www.downtowndogs.com
You have to get your dog approved after an interview for the daycare (I'm assuming the boarding is the same), but when they're not sleeping your dog is getting to play with other dogs. The people there are great! 4/2/06

·         Kat of All Canine Clean-up, 408-347-9220
I've been using her pooper-scooper services once a week for 7-8 years. She is extremely reliable and accommodating, and she prices her services quite reasonably. 5/9/06

·         Susan Bruno 408-978-5894
I highly recommend Susan Bruno. She's sat for several of our park pals as well and always with rave reviews. 8/15/06

·         See Spot Run, 408-429-0494
We had Rochelle from See Spot Run, take care of our lab while we were gone, her pricing was competitive, she was friendly/professional, well-organized, and easy to reach. 7/17/06

·         Sirius Dog Training, www.siriuspup.com
They teach using only positive training methods (reward-based training) and in addition to the classes they hold weekly puppy socials where your pups can play and socialize with other pups - hugely important in raising a well-adjusted dog! 12/31/06

Photographer:

·         Cocco and Cocco's on Curtner and Lincoln, also known as Kids Klub Photography
Excellent. 8/21/03
:-) We have used them several years in a row. They have a unique style of photographing (all white backgrounds, all white props). Dan is so great at getting any kid to laugh, and somehow he manages to get all three of ours to smile at the same time. Gorgeous! 8/21/03

·         Kelvin Leung: http://www.kelvinfoto.com
he is a talented and wonderful photographer. I have seen 3 weddings that he has photographed (friends of mine that referred one to another), and they are all wonderful. Even more important, they are all different. He seems to be able to capture something I haven't seen in most other wedding photos; he seems to capture the essence of the event. Kelvin specializes in wedding photography however I saw one woman's photos from her child's birth that Kelvin "documented".
2/2/04

·         Jim Nelson Photography, 1375 Blossom Hill Road, Saan Jose, 264-7811
I may be biased because they are personal friends, but Jim Nelson Photography in Princton Plaza next to Mervyn's has an excellent reputation. 12/22/05

·         Lifestyle Photography, 408/294-5545 cindy@cindygilmore.com
She's magical with kids of all ages. She's won Photographer of the Year awards several years. She's in the Rose Garden. You can preview her work at her web site. 12-24-05
:-) She has a package called "Day in the life" which we have done with all four of our children. 7/14/06

Piano Mover:

·         Duncan Piano Moving 1191 Mr. View Alviso Rd Suite L, Sunnyvale CA 408-954-1310
They took great care with the new floors and the piano. 3/23/2005

·         Exclusive Piano Movers, 650-589-5123
Did a terrific job. 10-3-05

·         Mai Movers at 408-832-5596
He's very protective of the furniture (wraps it all in Saran Wrap, etc.) and is very reasonable. 10-3-05

·         Bill Armstrong, 650-464-5687
They moved our acrosonic upright down a flight of 30 stairs from a 2nd floor apt. 11/10/06

Piano Repair:

·         Roland Kaplan 408-927-0620.
He knows his stuff. , 7/8/03

·         Joe d'Angelo 253-4889
Have used him for a number of years. He's a registered craftsman with the Piano Technicians Guild. Does tuning, repairs, cleaning and action adjustments. , 11-30-04

·         Dumont (Los Gatos) 408-280-7840
I have used them both to move pianos and to tune. I've always been pleased with them and would use them again. 7/8/03

·         Peter Acronico: 971-3826
He's a great piano tuner. He lives in WG. 8/11/03

·         Sid McAulay 997-1140
Took it up as a retirement career and he's great. 11-29-04

·         Leonard’s Player Pianos (Dick Leonard)
Dick did a lovely job on the complete player restoration. 11-29-04

·         Mark Mendel, Piano Services Unlimied, 408-295-5950
Not sure if he does repairs but, can give you someone that does. This is who we've been using for 15 years for tuning. 1/11/07

Piano Teacher:

·         Tammy Bueno de Sossa 294-8372.
We're very happy with her. She's also in WG. 2-1-05

·         Melissa Lin 408-569-1299
She is patient and has reasonable expectations for her students. 3/24/2005

·         Lucia Skinner 277.0817
She is wonderful. She teaches in her homenear downtown Willow Glen. 12-13-05

Plasterer / Drywall / Mason:

·         S&B Drywall 408-313-3011
We were very happy with their work and professionalism. 1-1-05

·         D&B Group. 287-3143, cell: 390-0548
Duane Handley is an artist with both interior plaster ands exterior stucco! 1-2-05
:-) He did an amazing job. He's a true craftsman. 1-13-05

·         Miccichi Masonry (408-778-9905)
Repaired our fireplace, including fixing a crack in the chimney and earthquake retrofitting it. 6/22/05

·         Chris Justi, 408-209-3787
As always the most skilled guy in the biz. 9/11/06

Plastic Surgeon:

·         Dr. Peter Levin near El Camino Hospital:http://www.levinmd.com/
I can heartily recommend. 6/27/05

·         Dr. Melody Lynd - 408-356-6719
Dr. Lynd did an amazing job. 6/30/05

Plumbing / Sewer Blockage:

·         Street Plumbing 408-210-6489
A wonderful plumber, reasonable & honest too. Jeff knew exactly what was wrong and took care of it so fast it was amazing; his brother Marc does the dispatch part. (6/4/03)
:-) Jeff showed up early (can you imagine?), worked very fast and fair priced. 9-7-05
:-) I can vouch 100% for Street Plumbing and Jeff. 9-21-05
:-) Reliable, knowledgeable and (this is where the emphasis is!) conscientious. 3-10-06
:-) Very pleased with his work, attitude and price. I will use him again. 6/2/06

·         Falcone & Son Plumbing on Stockton Ave.; 226-6151
We've used them many times on a regular basis. The Falcone family are long time WG residents. (6/5/06)

·         Noel Chadbourne 265-3525
He was recommended to me by someone on our Willow Glen e-list, has done some of my work, and is great! Very fair on pricing; excellent work. 7/19/03
:-) We've used him as well, and he's great! 7/19/03

·         Consolidate Plumbing Inc, 978-3093; Doug Douglass.
CPI re-piped our house with copper pipes and are highly recommended for all types of plumbing and drain work, including quick response to emergencies. 11/21/03

·         Central Cal Plumbing 529-1702
I have had many opportunities to work with my favorite plumber. 6/9/04

·         Rescue Rooter 1-800-869-6917
I was very impressed and will not hesitate to call Rescue Rooter again for a clogged drain. 12/5/04

·         Shane Feury 408-592-4091
He returned my calls, showed up on time, worked efficiently. 5/11/05

·         AAA Plumbing Service 408-993-1016. We've always had good experiences with them. 9/22/05

·         Drain Patrol 374-7800
They were great! 12/15/05

·         Vince Revino, 272-0500
Excellent plumber. 3/11/06

·         Sunshine Plumbing, 408-674-0944, Dean
He repiped my 1939 Bungalow 2 yrs ago with copper pipes and did a great job. His price was reasonable, he and his team were extremely clean and conscientious of not tracking dirt through the house. 5/8/06

·         Elite Plumbing, 408-358-0404, Don
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him. 5/8/06

Podiatrist:

·         Thomas A Carine, D. P. M., 2040 Forest Avenue, Suite 7, San Jose CA 95128 408-287-5751.
I had problems with my feet and he has been very good in mitigating those problems. He is also very pleasant to work with. 3/20/06

Pool Service:

·         Benny's Pool Service 408-629-6053
These guys are the best, and very reasonable. 4-12-05

Printing:

·         Able Printing, 1595 Meridian (at Hamilton) 264-0342
4-29-05

·         Excel Printing, 840 Willow Street (corner of Willow and Bird)
The quality of his work is excellent. 11/21/06
:-) Ditto from me on Excel Printing. 7/8/05

Remodeling:

·         Phil Labosky 315-3948
A good deck builder. He and his people did a very nice job, especially where we have a basement door included which looks like part of the deck and it looks great. He also does custom homes and is an interior trim specialist as well as additions and remodels. 8/12/03

·         RW Construction: Office: 408-723-9161; Cell Phone: 408-206-6139; Fax: 408-723-0220; email RWTyler@SBCglobal.net
2 brothers, Rob and John Ippolito do a great job. I've used them for many parts of my home remodel, including building vanity and cabinets in my guest bath. Reliable, honest, competitive pricing, and open to small jobs. And work very hard to assure a satisfied customer. 11/17/03

·         Design-Dick Schwarz, Richard E. Schwarz Designer 408-268-2340 or Michelle Kusanovich, Schiller Construction @ 650-940-1390; Gen. Contractors-Pat Ross, Ross Construction 408-226-1187 or Craig Rogers, Craig Rogers Builder 408-978-5484
Kent Mather, Director, Santa Clara County A.I.A. 408-298-0611
Would refer you to someone like the above. The last for architect referrals. 6/7/04

·         Brad Hanson. Hanson Construction 408-517-0300
On time, on budget, and fun to work with besides. They treated our house as if it was their own. 2-15-05

·         Chris Wolfgram, Wolfgram Construction: 408 559 4224
Did terrific work for us. 2-15-05

·         Rob Gamble of R & R Development (408.723.8346)
Did a large remodel for us on time and within budget. 2-15-05

·         AH Construction Co., 650-964-4633
He did a great job and I highly recommend him and his crew. 12/13/06

Restaurants:

There are so many that this isn't updated any longer.

Chinese

·         Taiwan Restaurant, 1306 Lincoln, 289-8800

·         Little Hunan, 1882 Curtner Ave, 371-2968, includes takeout and delivery

·         Great Wall, 1409 Bird (nr. Albertson’s), 287-1688

·         Mandarin Chili, 860 Willow, 289-8879, includes takeout & delivery

·         Mandarin Gourmet, 5560 Santa Teresa Boulevard (across fr. Oakridge), 281-8898

Sushi

·         Sushi Kazoo (in the Garden Theatre), 1165 Lincoln, 971-7755

·         Sushi Zono, 831 W. Hamilton Ave, Campbell, 374-8366

·         Sushi Mania, 1711 Branham Lane (across Ross from the Safeway), 265-3929

·         Sushi Maru, San Jose Japantown, 262 Jackson St. 408-998-8170

·         Sushi on the Run, Los Gatos

Vietnamese Pho

·         Citronelle on Winchester http://www.openlist.com/restaurants-view-citronelle.htm

Mexican

·         Consuelo’s in Santana Row

·         Taqueria Tlaquepaque, 2222 Lincoln or 721 Willow or 699 Curtner

Roofing & Gutters:

·         Conrad Roofing: 408-294-7615
They came with a good rating from Consumer's Checkbook, and did a great job on a replacement roof for my house, for a reasonable price. 12/15/02

·         Dave or Patrick: 297-4547
Great job, great price, showed up when they were supposed to! 12/16/02

·         Monks Roofing: 794 Berryessa St, Milpitas, CA 95035; Phone: 408-262-4797
Did a great job on our roof (during a remodel project). 12/15/02

·         RoofCo of Silicon Valley, located just off of Lincoln Avenue near San Carlos. (408) 723-7663
I was very pleased with the result; a great job and left my yard cleaner than what it was when they started, and it took less than 2 days from start to finish. (6/5/03)
:-) I'd like to second the recommendation for RoofCo of Silicon Valley. They were very professional and detail-oriented. We picked them because they came up with a creative solution for a problem area over our porch. Very easy to work with. 9/5/03
:-) Steve fixed a leak for me. He was very courteous and wiped his feet before walking on the roof. I could see from the way he worked that he was careful and paid attention to detail. Definitely left a good impression on me. ~JohnS 1/5/04
:-) I want to echo the endorsements about RoofCo: Several months ago Steve came out to look at repairing my roof. He was friendly and professional, and the *only* roofer of the 10 I called who were willing to repair my roof, rather than replace it. Everett, who manages the office, is superb at follow up and scheduling. 1/11/04
:-( I contacted RoofCo based on the recommendations here. What a mess! 5/20/04
:-( I cordially asked Roofco for a partial refund but the answer was "no." 5-16-05
:-) I'm extremely pleased. 1-6-06
:-) The work was done quickly and efficiently with a fine eye for detail. Everyone I worked with in the company was very professional and went out of their way to be helpful. 7/20/06

·         MBrown Construction, Inc: 260-1260.
They have always been prompt, thorough and reasonable - did work for several members of my family. (12/16/02)

·         Alacon Roofing: Tim at 408-205-5533 (day) and 408-985-1240 (evening).
He did wonderful work for us at a very reasonable price. He was also extremely reliable and so fast getting everything completed. 9/5/03

·         Western Roofing. (in Sunnyvale?)
We had a great experience with Western Roofing. They were very responsive, fairly priced and they did a great job. They did a non standard job for us as we wanted to have a cupola installed on the top of our garage roof. This involved building a base, doing the install and ensuring that the flashing and roof were replaced, where appropriate. They were referred to us by DeMattei (contractors). Western is listed. ~KathleenE 1/17/04

·         Matt Ginney: cell phone number 408-605-4297
Matt was recommended to me last year by a list member. I used him; he was quite good and very reasonable. 1/14/04

·         Wildcat Metals: 295-6507
We used the relatively light duty steel ones that they make on site. We figured steel would be more dent resistant than aluminum, and tolerate things like propping a ladder against them. Since they are made to length on site, there are no seams except at corners. Wildcat did a good job for us. They had a large crew, so the work was done really fast. Price was competitive. 9/25/03

·         South Bay Gutter Cleaning. Steven Bunt 408-910-6849, Message # is 408-927-0309; License #153738
He does minor repairs and roof cleanoffs. He was very busy but was out to my house within a day and did a great job. He also repairs gutters
and does big hauling jobs and big overall yard clean-ups and hot-tub removal; he doesn't do weekly gardening, etc. He was polite, efficient and professional. 11/14/03

·         Gutter Cleaning: Santa Clara Valley Complete Service: 800-400-6400
They do other things like power wash your house, etc. They were very prompt in replying to me, showed up when scheduled, worked in the rain and did a good
job. They were, however, a little more expensive than my regular guy ... 1/14/03

·         Chris Helt, 408-373-0615
He has cleaned my roof gutters and did a great job. He is very personable and kind. I highly recommend him. Chris also does gardening and I have hired him
on a monthly basis. 1/16/04
:-) His prices are reasonable. 3/16/06
:-) I second the opinion on Chris Helt. He is diligent, conscientious and very reasonable. He does a great job!! 3/16/06

·         Roof inspectors: Rolando of Complete Services, Inc. on Curtner. 1 (800) 400-6400.
I recommend him highly. Susan 1/30/04

·         Alex's Gutter Service 408-297-2005
Did excellent job installing new gutters & downspouts. They also clean gutters. 10-11-04

·         Rain Gutter Services, 720 Curter, Campbell. 559-9002
Added gutters to my garage and repaired a section on my house. I was very pleased with their work. They are insured and have a CA. Contractor's License. 11-17-04

·         KVG Mechanical 408-972-8341 or cell at 408-640-9309.
I am happy to recommend. 5-2-2005

·         EM Roofing Edgar 408-655-0414
He works with his brother, and they are both *very* personable, efficient and knowledgeabele. He's done my mother's roof, my roof and a neighbor's roof, and we are all very satisfied! 4/5/06

·         RE Roofing in Campbell, 408-626-9320
Company has all it's insurance, licenses, etc. It's a family business. Nice people and a good job. 7/20/06

Schools:

·         Mulberry Preschool,
My DD went to Mulberry and it was outstanding. I can't recommend it highly enough. 1/31/04
:-) our kids went there, too, years ago. Now have a UC Berkeley grad! 2/10/04

Screen Doors:

·         Screen Solutions 408-374-8156
We had Phantom Screens put on all our doors about 3 years ago by and they are, indeed, wonderful! We have large dogs, but because of the innovative design we've never lost a screen because of them. The people at Screen Solutions are just great. We can't speak highly enough of Screen Solutions or the quality and durability of Phantom Screens. 7/24/03
Screen Solutions
:-) I can't endorse this product (Phantom) and the installer more highly. 7/20/05

·         Similar retractable screens can be had at Home Depot for ~$150-190. They are very easy to install. ~Graham 7/24/03

Security Systems:

·         Quality Security Systems, 59 Washington Street, Suite 280, Santa Clara, CA 95050. 408-365-2036, or . Tom Roberts, owner
I'm just a happy who has "alarmed screens," modified window screens that allow bedroom windows to remain open while providing security for the ccupant(s). They're moderately expensive at about $75 per screen, and you need to buy a control panel and other components, but the system is well worth the comfort and peace of mind. 8/10/03
:-) I have used Quality Security Systems in two homes for a total of 10 years. They have a central monitoring service that has ALWAYS given excellent service with really nice operators. 7/19/06
:-) He came when he said he would. Gave us a reasonable quote and finished when he said he would. Everything has been great ever since. 11/20/06

Sewing Machine Repair:

·         Viking Sewing Machine Center at 1232 Lincoln 298-5696
Extremely competent on ALL brands of sewing machines and honest to a fault. 10-8-04

Sharpening:

·         Knife Stalkers West side of Lincoln Avenue just a block or so south of San Carlos
Picked up my tools last Friday and on Saturday and Sunday, used my pruners. They were so well cleaned and sharpened that my job was practically cut in half. 3/20/06

Shoe Repair:

·         The Cobbler's Bench, 408-249-0439
I don't know much about prices since I did not shop around but I wouldn't call it cheap. That said, the price seemed okay for the complexity of what I was doing and the quality of workmanship I received. 5/2/06

Solar:

·         Sky Power Systems, http://www.skypowersystems.com/
I had Sharp PV panels (14 panels, at 2.22kW total) installed about two years ago. Fred Klaske was great to work with! 6/8/05

·         REgrid Power of Campbell. Contact is 370-3600. Office is at 1624 Dell Ave, Campbell. www.Regrid.com
The system has been up and running for two years, and the only way that I know it is there is when I pay my PG&E bill and only have to pay for gas. 3-7-06

Sports / Sporting Goods:

·         Kidz Love Soccer: www.KIDZLOVESOCCER.com.
More of a soccer school than a soccer league. The kids each have more time with the ball, as well as learning teamwork and all of the soccer skills. Games are played at every meeting, but there are no fixed teams. Lessons are offered weekly in 8 week sessions year round, and the coaches are wonderful. I had both Willow Glen and the Camden Community Center session, and prefer the Camden one, which is not that much farther from our house. 8/20/03

·         PAL Willow Glen soccer league http://www.sjpal.com/sports/default.asp?ct=08 and
Central Valley league http://www.cvysl.org/
We have been involved in both and have both been playing since Kindergarten at Booksin. The season runs from September through early December typically. There are also leagues that provide soccer in the spring. 8/20/03

·         The following information comes from Central Valley Youth Soccer League (YSL). Central Valley, which draws heavily from schools in the Willow Glen area, does not itself support Spring soccer at the recreational level. Recreational youth soccer is provided by other leagues though. Here are pointers:
South Bay YSL based out of the Campbell CC: http://www.southbayyouthsoccer.com/home.shtml
Almaden Valley YSL: http://almadensoccer.org/
West Valley YSL: http://www.wvysl.org/
1/16/04

·         Girls Lacrosse of San Jose: www.sjextreme.org
If you're looking into spring sports for your daughter, you might consider lacrosse. Our club is open to fifth to eighth graders from San Jose. We will be practicing on Monday and Thursday afternoons at the Kirk Community Center on Foxworthy, and playing games on Saturdays, March through May. We start practice in early February. Girls lacrosse is a non-contact sport (don't confuse it with the Stealth) that's fast and fun. Our daughters are happy to demonstrate the sport and loan out sticks. For details and registration forms, check our web site: or give me a call. Financial aid is available. 1/16/04

·         Lacrosse for Boys: A club out of Bret Harte Middle School and the Tomahawks in Palo Alto have teams for middle school boys. Check out the contacts on the Northern California Junior Lacrosse site: http://www.uslacrossepacific.org/leagues/teams/NCJLA_boys.htm. 1/16/04

Summer Camp:

·         Youth Science Institute (YSI) http://www.ysi-ca.org
We've been sending the kids to the Vasona site for several years. 3-17-05

Tax Consultant:

·         Allen Bates on Mary Avenue in Sunnyvale - 245-7648. allenbates@aol.com
He is very knowledgeable and nice. His fees seem reasonable. 1-25-05

·         Allison Reddington in Almaden area. 266-7269
Will come to YOUR home or business (she does business taxes as well as personal). 1-25-05

·         Wesley A. Fachner, CPA, CMA, 262 E. Hamilton Avenue, Suite B, Campbell. 408-866-2001 I've known him for years. 1-26-05

·         United Revenue Services - Marya Cobb 408-248-0795
I've had Marya Cobb do my returns for nearly 10 years. She's so good that I followed her from H&R Block where we first met professionally. 3/31/06

·         Tim Brewer 408-266-0174
Excellent for Taxes! 4/5/06

Telecommunications:

·         Freedom Telephone Service. 408-264-5282
We just used Freedom and liked the work he did and he was neat and cleaned up everything. 12-30-04

Tile Repair & Installation:

·         The Grout Doctors:
The folks next door to me just loved their work at very reasonable prices. The kitchen looked great. 10/8/02

·         Roland 272-3034 (h) 690-3403 (c)
I just had tile work for the bathroom at my office and the gentleman was great. I kept his number for my future home projects. If you would like to see his work at my office just let me know. 8/25/03

·         RGS Construction: office/fax 408-353-1471; internet www.RGS-Rick.com; email
state licensed; Insured/Bonded. The entire bath remodel was timely as committed, per budget and contract. Rick runs his business like a professional. Bids at night mailed as committed. The work in done in the day time. Every time he came to my home it was at the time he said he'd be there. Every day he cleaned up the area where he and his men worked. , 9/7/03

·         Bruno Tile (Tom Bruno), 978-2342.
I highly recommend Tom: Longtime WG resident, great personality and exceptional work. 10/26/03
:-) He is very good at all kinds and even good at glass tiles a real specialty. 10-6-04

·         Mercado Tile 408-295-8878
They did my entry hall and the floor on my very small bathroom. The were great both times. It's a family business, Willow Glen-based, with father Pete and sons doing the bulk of the work. 10/23/03

·         Dynamic Ceramics 377-9080
Rocky is the best around. As an interior designer I have had the pleasure to design wonderful kitchen, baths and more and see a vision come to life without glitches. 10/23/03

·         Monster Tile, (Mark Camarota) 408-472-0927
He did a very difficult job in my kitchen and I was happy with the results. 10-5-04

·         Adobe Tile 408-725-0851
They did the tile on the wall above our kitchen counter and it came out great 10-6-04

·         Patrick (Pat) Graham of the Graham Tile Co 408-241-7187 or 650-941-6105
Pat and his team definitely have a "do it right or don't do it at all" attitude. 12-8-05

·         Kevin Fitzgerald 408-718-3587
His guys did an incredible job, with some pretty intricate tile work. I can send photos if you'd like. His prices were reasonable, he and his crew were on time, neat and polite. 4/6/06

Travel Agents:

·         Peak Travel on Lincoln next to B of A, 408-881-0908
They have been a big supporter of Willow Glen Schools and community. Tyler Peak, owner, is as about as nice as they come. 5/22/03
:-) Tessie Young at Peak Travel and her husband have traveled in Italy many times and she is very knowledgeable on the whole country, culture, history and activities. You'll enjoy it. (5/22/03)

·         Orrel Aza at O'Brien Travel: 408-275-6611
Recommended by , 1/12/04
:-) Orrel at O'Brian Travel in SJ is wonderful. 1/12/04

·         Ticket to Travel: 408-531-9228; I highly recommend Anita. , 1/12/04

·         Willow Glen Travel on Lincoln
We've had great results from them: been using them for over 20 years. ~PC, 1/14/04

Trees: Tree Trimming:

·         Remember that you now need a permit to trim/prune any street trees. It's free and you can obtain it by calling the City Arborist office at 277-2762 and they will mail or fax it to you or you can pick it up at their office. If you don't have a tree in your parking strip and you want one, first call the City of San Jose at 277-2762 and leave your name, phone and most importantly, your address. They will send out an arborist to assess your strip and mark it for where a tree can go.

Then to get on the list for a free tree and planting, call Our City Forest at 998-7337. They will send you a form to complete and you will get in the queque. They provide the tree and labor for free. You can make a donation if you want. They decide the tree. ~Rebecca, 6/26/02.

·         Our City Forest has an abundant supply of trees to give away. All you need to do is apply for them, help plant them (if you're able), and keep them watered, fed, and pruned. 2/9/04

·         A-1 Tree Service: Work: 408 448 6408; Mobile: 408 504 6740; "Nick", License: 698160
Nick has lived in the area for years and he and his team are very competent, reliable and competitively priced. 7/19/03
:-) They do a nice job and a great clean up afterwards. He can also arrange for stump removal if you need it. 9/21/06

·         Tree Elite 408-996-8733
They do a tremendous job, is reasonably priced, and the owner, Leroy Bowles, really knows his stuff. We highly recommend him. 9/16/03

·         Bartlett Tree Experts (www.bartlett.com) 358-7888, in Los Gatos
We have been very happy with them. There are a lot of people who will trim trees for you, but we lost a beautiful tree because another service did it incorrectly, weakening it so it became susceptible to pests that eventually killed it. 5/22/06

·         Woodpecker Certified Arborist - Call Brian McGovern at 408-298-2948.
Brian is not only efficient and "relatively" reasonable, he is also environmentally sensitive. This guy knows his trees! He won't trim a tree off season for that particular species, and he keeps track of what needs to be done and when. He will make recommendations, but never pressures you to contract for more than you want to pay for. I have recommended him to several people in Willow Glen and they all liked his work. 9/16/03
:-) They came out, gave me advice on trees to keep, when to have them trimmed, what I can do myself… Not only did they do great work, but they were by far the neatest folks who have ever worked at my home (inside or out). I will definitely call them again. ~ 5/1/04
:-) They did a great job on our overgrown, PG&E-manicured, ash tree. 12/3/06

·         Professional Horticulture Associates: Lowell Cordas 408-374-6383
He's the best! If you go the Farmer's Market, you know Lowell as the man who sharpens and sells knives and tools. 9/30/03
:-) I, too, recommend Lowell Cordas highly. He is especially knowledgeable
about the pruning of fruit trees. 9/30/03
:-) I just had Lowell out, and he was thoroughly pleased. He trimmed an old tree and two young persimmons, at a very reasonable rate. 10/22/03
:-) Sean with PHA is the best! 9/19/06

·         Campos Tree Service: contact Isaias Campos (owner) at 408/938-0752 or his cell # is 408/623-8743
We just had three trees pruned/trimmed by and I would definitely recommend them. Isaias was on the job with two helpers. They were on-time, did exactly what I asked for in a highly professional manner, cleaned up thoroughly before leaving and were reasonably priced. 3/20/04
:-) The owner Isaias Campos was prompt for the estimate and trimming of my tree. He cleaned up so nicely after the trimming I wouldn't have know he was there except the tree was trimmed as I had hoped. He was very reasonably priced. 3/29/04

·         General Tree Service, Jess Fernandez, 408-489-5671
Jess returned my calls promptly, gave a quote on short notice, was able to do the work earlier than expected, showed up on time, and the whole crew was just as nice and professional as can be. 10-12-04

·         Gil Mitchell (consulting arborist) 408-929-3040
We paid Gil to advise us what to do.. He doesn't do actual tree surgery, so there's no conflict of interest. 12-8-05

·         Andrew Perez, 408-469-1721
He and his workers did a great job at a reasonable price -- not only that, but after the trimmings were picked up by the city the following day, he returned to sweep up the remains from the street. 8/22/06

·         James Scott, Certified Arborist, 408-370-2089
They did an excellent job and did not touch the fence on 2 sides of the tree. 12/2/06

Tutors:

·         Nicole Lurie, 408-226-2425 - Spanish Tutor
Nicole is extremely fluent and knowledgeable in the Spanish language, and she is a fabulous and gifted teacher. You will have fun while you are learning! 5/21/06

TV / VCR Repair:

·         Steve at Mr.Color TV-266-4545. Curtner Ave. and Bello Ave ~LarryR 11/9/03

·         SerTech Electronics, 5725 Winfield Blvd. Suite 9,S.J. 95123. 267-3288.
Most honest man I have ever met behind a repair counter. 4-24-05

Upholstery:

·         Krupp's Upholstery in Campbell
I have had several pieces done by them. He's a great guy, and will come to your home to give an estimate and pick up and deliver. , 6/10/03
:-) Bill Krupp is great.~Judy 4/14/04
:-) Bill did an awesome job on my vintage lounge chair. I highly recommend him. 11-15-04

·         A+ Upholstery Cleaning: Tony Benjamin at 408-832-0808.
, 9/4/03

·         Upholstery Specialists, 342 Lincoln Avenue, close to San Carlos, 998-8185
They made some custom cushions for me which turned out beautifully and the price competitive. There shop is quite large and they do everything from furniture to cars, boats. 11-15-04

·         Upholstery Workroom: Jimmy; 408-286-6200
I have an excellent upholsterer. We have used him often as well as my sister and a lot of friends. He does upholstery for Calico Corners, too. ~KimJ 11/18/03

·         Marty's 510/5323446
He is an excellent upholsterer and furniture refinisher. He does the work for the apartment facility where I work. He lives in Oakland, but he makes house calls at no charge and will take your piece and return it. 1/28/04

·         Alan Heyman: http://www.aheyman-slipcovers.com/home/index.htm
one of the best in all the Bay area. ~NancyC 3/16/04

·         Ricardo's Custom Upholstery, 408-923-8532
It's a mom and pop business, and they do a lot of work on antique furniture. Nancy will come to your home and give estimates. 8/9/06

Veterinarian:

·         Emergency Clinic off Hamilton @ Bascom, just prior to the Pruneridge center, across from the Health Food grocery center.
a joint facility that's run off hours by a Pool of Vets. 8/13/03
:-( We had some pretty negative experiences at the emergency clinic at Hamilton & Bascom - stopped going there after the 2nd one and won't go back. 8/14/03
:-) We've had mixed experiences with the ER clinic on Hamilton and Bascom, too, but when it really counted the staff pulled through for us. Our puppy was stung on the nose by yellow jack and went into shock and was barely breathing. Staff met us outside the door and took charge immediately and literally saved his life. We recommend them for any sort of life-threatening emergency where every minute counts. 8/14/03

·         United Emergency Animal Clinic on Thornwood near Santa Teresa (behind Oakridge Mall).
We like them for emergencies. It might be a bit further, but well worth it in my book. 8/14/03

·         Lincoln Avenue Veterinary Clinic . 699 Lincoln Ave., corner of Parkmoor, 408-293-3448.
They've been fabulous for our cats. They were good resources for referrals for services like pet-sitting, too. 8/13/03
:-) Dr. Lori Yamamoto at Lincoln Ave. Vet clinic is very gentle with goofy pets, very caring and thorough. 8/13/03
:-) Dr. Yamamoto and her team are just great.~ Judith Semas 5/5/04
:-( I’ve had two bad experiences with Lincoln Vet.~ Mary McCuistion 5/5/04
:-) I would prefer staying with a vet practice that will take care of their clients whether for a scheduled visit or an emergency visit with the practice's ultimate goal being the well-being of the pet. 4/15/06
:-( We tried Lincoln Avenue Veterinary Clinic as our new dog needed a booster shot and we like to patronize local businesses. Mixed results. 4/15/06

·         Dr. Dan Apple (Companion Pet Care) 268-7378
I have been using him for many years (since he established his own practice). He comes equipped with a "vet mobile" and makes housecalls. He and his assistants have always been attentive, responsive and capable. When it was necessary to find a specialist, Dr. Apple arranged an emergency consultation with an exceptional internal medicine specialist. 8/13/03

·         Aussie Pet Mobile: Micaela Hoskins, 408-425-4142
They do great work, their prices are reasonable and they are certainly convenient. I recommend them whole-heartedly! 8/13/03

·         Porte Veterinary in Campbell (off Winchester near Bubb) 408-374-6114.
We've been going there for the past 15 years and countless cats and dogs. Karen Langeman is the owner/vet running the place, and we've been very satisfied. Her staff is superb. 8/13/03
:-) Our cats have had some major problems and we've been very happy with the care they received. 11-10-04

·         Los Gatos Dog and Cat
They have my vote! Started with them years ago and have never been disappointed. Great Docs, great staff and my animals don't mind going there at all. 8/13/03
:-) I have used Los Gatos Dog and Cat for many years and have been very pleased with their services and their prices. 5/6/04
:-) We've always been quite satisfied with the care provided. 1-14-06

·         Arroyo in Sunnyvale off the El Camino: 1211 Sycamore Terrace
-- my gosh, Dr. Paul took in our dwarf hamster- cared for his paralysis, FIXED it, and only charged us 20.00 for the visit and the titration work for the shot. 8/13/03

·         Dr. James Collinson at Quito Veterinary (1105 Saratoga Ave, 253-4707).
We use a vet oustide of the WG area - Great vet, great staff - great with the animals and equally great with us. 8/14/03

·         Burbank Pet Hospital , 1819 W. San Carlos. 271-7875
Very good docs... Dr. Runyon is wonderful but semi retired. Dr. Kumar has been great also. Dr. Alverado gave a free consultation to my adult daughter about her cat living in a new situation. I also like the office staff very much: they explain everything, they are kind, considerate, and patient. 8/16/03
:-) It's been there at least 25 years and we have taken all our pets there. 11-10-04

·         El Gato Veterinary in Los Gatos. 15748 Los Gatos Blvd., Los Gatos, CA 95031 408-356-2181
I highly recommend them: We have been going there for years and have seen all the Dr.s there. I especially like Dr. Williams, but they are all good. 8/13/03

·         Evergreen Veterinary Clinic, ~1645 (?) E. Capitol Expressway at Yerba Buena
open on Sundays and heartily recommended. 11/9/03

·         Cat Hospital on Hamilton Ave. 137 E. Hamilton 408-866-6188
I haved taken my cats there for over 20 years and they have always been wonderful. 11-10-04
:-) Agreed, The Cat Hospital has always been super for me, and others that I know too. 11-10-04
:-) I will second the recommendation for The Cat Hospital on Hamilton. 9/23/06

·         Quito Veterinary Hospital - 408-253-4707
A bit farther than some of the others, but we liked them so much that we kept using them when we moved from West SJ. 11-10-04

·         Animal Health Center, Santa Clara (behind Mervyn's Plaza) - 408-249-1315
Dr Carole Larsen is a wonderful vet and her staff is efficient and friendly. 11-10-04

·         Walter McCall, 2160 Winchester in Campbell. 408/378-5190
He has been providing a holistic treatment for our dog's hip dysphasia and she's doing great. 4-25-05

·         Kirkwood Animal Hospital, Dr. Stanley Ueno (408-374-5850) on Campbell Avenue near Westgate Mall).
He is a miracle worker. 2-11-06

Video Photography:

·         Starbrightvideo.com: www.skyebean.com; 408.390.8278
a great lead for a videographer. She's a bit pricey but her work is exquisite.. , 6/10/03

Voice Coach:

·         Lucia -- 265-3246
she coaches my 16 year old daughter in voice and my daughter adores her. She's near Bird and Pine. 1/27/04

·         Peggy Spool, 979-9997
I am happy to recommend her, located in the Cambrian area. She is outstanding. 1/28/04

·         Ina Kraus, 265-3413,
lives off Dry Creek Road. She is a stickler but will get a vocal range out of you that you NEVER knew existed. She taught voice for my program when I had it at American Musical Theater of SJ. She makes you work. 1/28/04

Water Softeners:

·         Kinetico
I am satisfied with my which uses potassium so I don't need a reverse osmosis system in order to drink the water from the tap. Also, my plants can drink it. Kinetico doesn't require electricity. I rent from Crystal Choice (408 364-2670) at about $38/month. 2/21/04
:-) I am very pleased with my potassium based Kinetico that I received from DeAnza Water Conditioning. Great people to work with and great pricing...give Lynne Farris a call at 408-246-3888. 2/23/04
:-( / :-) The negatives: I do not water my plants with it because it killed one plant. I do not drink it because I do not like the taste. The biggest negative is that my unit is outside and changes in weather make the potassium solidify so we often have to break it up and refill the unit. The positives: I love the feel of softwater in the shower. We have less scale buildup on the bathroom and the clothes feel better after being laundered. ~SusanP 2/23/04

·         Culligan, 1785 Russell Av. Santa Clara 800.273.9050
[Softener] working perfectly. Had bad experience with Rayne. 7/25/04

·         Randazzo's Water Conditioning, 408-978-5355, www.randazzoswater.com
Happy with softener. 7/26/04

Web Designers:

·         Morgan Multimedia 408.984.4600 www.MorganMM.com; ask for Mindy...
They do everything from websites to virtual tours to email flyers. Everything looks beautiful and is technically sound; the websites are crisp and original, and everything flows well, and they have won awards for their design. 7/6/03

Windows:

·         Anderson Window Supply, 696 Auzerais across from Orchard. John Scalmanini, owner. 920-0115
Besides replacing all our windows they also enlarged an inside door creating an arch for the doorway. He lives in Willow Glen and knew what type of window would match the house as well as the neighborhood. The guys were all very polite and they did an amazing clean-up job at the end of the day-everyday. 6/14/03
:-| I recently had all my windows replaced by Anderson. I was very disappointed, but I too am to blame, for I didn't get competing estimates. Advice: Get at least three estimates. Have them bring the sample windows to your house so you canbe sure what they will look like. 2/2/04

·         Five Star Windows in Campbell. 408-370-3331, www.fivestarwindows.com
They replaced all the windows in our previous home (~2 years ago), our sliding door, a garden window, and installed a set of french doors. They did a fantastic job. They were reasonably priced, on schedule, didn't leave a mess and are just plain nice folks to work with. They even helped us put in a dog door. 4-20-05
:-) Very nice people; family ran and very honest. 2/6/06
:-) I really like their work. 2-6-06

·         Brother's Windows
a family run business; they did an excellent, professional job! They've since done jobs for several family members and friends who were all very pleased. 6/13/03

·         Almaden Window and Door
We just got all new Milgard windows and a sliding glass door installed earlier this month, and we're very happy with them so far. We got all "new construction" (not retrofit) windows, and had them cased with wood trim and molding on the inside. That extra trim really makes them look great. 8/26/03

·         Mike Wilson 836-9215
He does window restoration. He fixed all the windows in our 75 year old house which were painted shut. He replaced the ropes and pulleys where necessary. 11/16/03

·         Sheets Enterprises 408/292-1132.
I highly recommend Dave Sheets for window sash repair. We had some work done by him on our windows, and are very satisfied. 11/17/03
:-) I too can highly recommend Dave Sheets. He is wonderful. I have used him for several years for all of my real estate listings and sales. His prices are very competitive. 11/17/03
:-( Get agreement on the quality of materials and the process for repairs before signing on. 2-7-06

·         Milgard
I got the Quiet Line for my bedroom, which catches Minnesota Ave traffic noise. They are pretty good, although very expensive. 2/5/04

·         Window Max.
I got wonderful service and quality new windows from them: I replaced 13 windows, upstairs and down, in our home just a couple of months ago. They provided exceptional consultation support at their display office in Sunnyvale. The installation went smooth as silk. Workers moved and replaced any furniture necessary and cleaned up any mess they made. 2/3/04
:-( HORRIBLE experience!! 2/6/06

·         Advanced Exterior Systems, Inc.: Dave Hada 916-624-9336
His firm did the replacements on my home. New standards are for non-metal frames with spectrally selective Low E coatings. 2/3/04

·         Glen Bothe, Window-Max, 301 Town & Country Village, Sunnyvale. 408-991-9021
They know their stuff and do a great job. I'm well pleased. 11-7-04

·         The Screen Shop, 601 Hamline, San Jose, 408-295-7384
I have only good things to say about The Screen Shop. 2-6-06
:-) I'm very happy with the project and I really recommend these guys. 1/2/07

Window Washers / Blind Cleaners:

·         Cleaning Services 408-972-9949
they've been cleaning the windows and 8 skylights of our two-story house for the past 3 years -- they're really great, and very reasonably priced. ~, 7/30/03

·         "Just Windows" 408-229-6080
I've been pleased with them for the windows in my two-story home. 7/30/03
:-) Fast, thorough, reasonable. 9/21/03
:-) My favorite window washer is Just Windows. Very efficient crew and reasonably priced. 5/4/06

·         Ace Blind Cleaning 923-4555
Cleaning as well as purchasing/installing all types of window coverings. 6/9/04

·         The Window Washer 408-993-1097
I highly recommend The Window Washer. Jim Doyle is the owner and he was very professional. My windows look great. 5/5/06

Writer:

·         Susannah Eisner, 650-960-7196 My sister is an excellent writer, a published author, she writes for a living..and her work is EXCELLENT! She does resumes, proof reading, editing..any kind of writing. 6/13/03

·         Judith Harkham Semas: jsemas@comcast.net Ph/Fax: 408-920-2635; Web site: http://members.authorsguild.net/jsemas/
When it comes to writing, she is brilliant. Regardless of the subject matter, she has a natural ability to capture the essence of the assignment in an effective, well-defined style. For more than 25 years now, I have relied on her services as a freelance writer and I continue to be marveled by her work. 11/19/03

Yoga:

·         Willow Glen Yoga, 1188 Lincoln Ave. 289-9642 willowglenyoga.com
I have been going there for a number of years, and they have a number of classes that are ideal for beginners and allow you to work your way slowly to improved flexibility and fitness.
:-) Seconding the vote for Willow Glen Yoga. 2-13-05

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General Information:

How to check out contractor, real estate, and insurance licenses:

Contractors -- including painting, remodeling, fences, and yard work: http://www.cslb.ca.gov

Real Estate: SDM<\/a>');//--> , 2/15/07

minor update 6/21/09 LLA

 

© Willow Glen Neighborhood Association (WGNA), 2009