Shop Local Guide

Nirvana

224 N Santa Cruz Ave # B, Los Gatos, CA 95030

1.408.354.7979

When owner Laure Chicoine first approached the Bay Area Green Business Program about making Nirvana the region's first certified hair salon, they acted like she was crazy.

"They wanted nothing to do with me," she remembers. But Chicoine was determined. An event she sponsored for Earth Day, "Get Your Green On," had inspired her. She convinced the board to give her a chance, and threw herself into the grueling process of going green. Officials evaluated all the hair products Nirvana uses for eco-friendliness, inspected the plumbing, even tested the groundwater around the salon. By last summer, the deal was finally done. » Read More

Sam's BBQ

1110 S Bascom Ave, San Jose, CA 95128

1.408.297.9151

"The mentality my dad had was, if you want it, you've got to make it happen," remembers Sam Carlino, owner of Sam's BBQ.

And Carlino's family has been making things happen in Silicon Valley for three-quarters of a century. In the 1930s, they had a fruit stand on Monterey Highway. Later, his dad and uncle owned Time Market for 30 years. Sam had to learn the family work ethic before he learned the family business. When he was 18, he was working a sausage stand at the flea market with his dad. » Read More

Whole Foods Campbell

1690 S. Bascom Ave., Campbell, CA

1.408.371.5000

Sometimes a business's local connections aren't always easy to see. Like when they show up before everyone's awake to deliver produce. "We have local farmers that come in their own trucks and deliver to the store," says Sal Arciniega, marketing team leader for Whole Foods Campbell. » Read More

San Jose Skate Shop

1969 Tully Road, San Jose, CA

1.408.375.6704

Devin Huff had all kinds of ideas for a skate shop, but like a lot of people, that didn't mean he was actually going to find a way to make his dream happen. However, he got some encouragement while working at the skatepark in Campbell. One of the skaters' father told Huff he thought he had the right stuff to open his own shop. Huff took it to heart and began plotting. Within a year, he had made it happen: San Jose Skate Shop opened in January. » Read More

Cocoa Jeans USA

50 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos, CA 95030

1.408.395.8995

Cocoa Jeans USA at Rouge

When people say "Think globally, shop locally," it's usually meant as a figure of speech. But in order to keep their customers shopping locally, Silicon Valley businesses so have to think locally. That's just what Los Gatos' Rouge discovered when they started stocking Cocoa Jeans USA, a brand with an unusual approach to their product. » Read More

Willow Glen's Boutique Street

@ Lincoln Avenue, San Jose CA

Chock-full of unique boutiques and yummy restaurants, downtown Willow Glen is a quaint suburban destination that makes one forget it's just a hop, skip and a jump away from a metropolitan center. It's also a great place to feed your inner shopaholic, with Lincoln Avenue offering dozens of one-of-a-kind shops, salons and interior design stores. » Read More

Recycle Books

1066 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126

1.408.286.6275

In a time when independent bookstores are facing more challenges than ever. Recycle Books has maintained its place as a Silicon Valley institution. After 40 years, it's even expanded. How do they do it?

Perhaps, as the old punchline goes, "volume." Recycle has a remarkable selection for a used bookstore. » Read More

A Youthful Reflection

Drs. Todd and Kathy Bragg got the idea for A Youthful Reflection after they went into a big med spa for some treatment. They felt like the spa was pushing products and services on them that they didn't need, were overpriced, and that they weren't being given the whole truth about the procedures.

"We realized that we could do this, and do this honestly for a better price and not have people feel like they are being pressured," says Bragg. "We had additional space in the chiropractic office, and this was the perfect addition to our family business." » Read More

Nick's on Main

35 E. Main St., Los Gatos CA

1.408.399.6457

When Nick's on Main opened last year, it was an instant hit. Hungry diners crowded the tight space for a plate of chef/owner Nick Difu's upmarket comfort food. But as the saying goes, it takes years of hard work to become an overnight success, and Difu has put in his time.

Before opening his namesake restaurant last spring, Difu worked at the now closed Café Marcella, the Wine Cellar and 180 Restaurant and Lounge. As a result, the city has come to know him as one of its own. While he's cooked around town for years, this is the first place that is all his, and it's well suited to his generous style of cooking because of its intimacy and small scale. » Read More

Mudai

503 W. San Carlos St., San Jose CA

1.408.292.2282

Ethiopian food is looking better all the time. It first caught on in the mainstream here for its unique flavors and the unusual method of scooping up many dishes by hand with the spongy bread called injera.

But it turns out that injera isn't just a novel way to eat. The rest of the world is only beginning to discover the health benefits of Ethiopian cuisine, especially the grain teff, which is used to make the injera. Extremely nutritious, high in fiber and adaptable to many environments, teff is as sustainable as it is delectable. » Read More

University Art

456 Meridian Ave., San Jose, CA

1.408.297.4707

What's the secret to University Art's success? Established in 1948 in Palo Alto, and in San Jose for over 25 years—15 of them at the current location on Meridian—University Art has carved its niche as the go-to spot for art students and other creative types in the Silicon Valley.

Mike Maguire, manager of the San Jose store, has been with University Art for 16 years, and believes the answer is absolutely the relationship that the store has been able to build with its customers. » Read More