Los Gatos antiques store pushed out by bookstore chain

A downtown Los Gatos antiques store is due to close just a year after opening to be replaced by retail giant Barnes and Noble As of last week armchairs with colorful upholstery paintings on large canvases and glassware of assorted sizes sat atop side tables and in cabinets in various rooms in Vidi Vici Gallery at N Santa Cruz Ave Owner Nino Demiani accumulated these items over the years from previous businesses But when the longtime Los Gatos resident was inquired about how the items were acquired he deadpanned I m stealing it at night from people I have an ability to get through the chimney and take everything I like Related Articles Nvidia South Bay buying binge tops million with new property buys Credit union buys long-empty San Jose site of popular restaurant Guatemalan restaurant eyes two San Jose locations in expansion push Business owner in showdown with VTA over land seized for San Jose BART extension Nvidia widens South Bay footprint with million-plus property deal It s no tittering matter that Vidi Vici is expected to close this month The Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce certified that the family-run business s operating space has been leased to Barnes and Noble Demiani explained he had until May to close but may be able to stretch that until the end of the month Demiani had been leasing the space since February The family business had negotiated a discounted rate and temporary tenancy requiring the landlord to provide -day notice if they needed to vacate the property Cooking and home goods retailer Williams Sonoma used to operate out of the storefront before it was left abandoned for several years Demiani moved into a space that had dirt piled up to the ceiling holes in the floors and the walls greasy counters and dead rats and cockroaches He reported he spent at least two months trying to clean it up and even considered spending to replace the window film which was dirty and covered with glued-on stencil marks so people could clearly see into the shop Before setting up shop at N Santa Cruz Ave Demiani operated a pop-up shop just down the street at N Santa Cruz Ave where he was able to stay for almost two years But as soon as he moved to the former Williams Sonoma site the family was taken aback by tours of foreseen tenants before they even opened He announced another business had previously wished to take over the storefront but eventually decided against leasing it Then Barnes and Noble displayed interest and Demiani got a two-month notice to vacate the store last month Operating on a month-to-month lease was stressful Demiani commented We ve been on pins and needles this year he added I would say it was painful when you don t know what s going on We were in suspense all this time Demiani was previously in the business of furniture repair and museum-quality restoration and preservation He operated three different stores including an art gallery then took a -year break He opened Vidi Vici Gallery with a push from his daughter I was basically in our house and when I started talking to my clocks my daughter mentioned Daddy you re getting wild You allegedly need to see people ' Demiani declared The business initially started with online auctions due to the declining area for brick and mortar antique stores Soon Demiani began taking consignment from local customers selling unwanted items online Demiani stated his rocky stay in downtown Los Gatos is indicative of the constant flux in the antiques business If you re not selling off items you re paying to store them he disclosed and even if you do sell an item after years of storage you re likely not turning a profit for it That s fine pieces of furniture and art and I wish to save it for future generations but in contemporary times people are not really interested in anything to tell you the truth Demiani explained It doesn t make any sense in storing it for me because it s costly With an eye toward liquidation Demiani has taken to selling off his items through online auctions saying it s a better way to sell because people in other states are more likely to buy more items He disclosed a man from Florida bought a number of items from his store This antiques business is for crazy people like me because normal people will not do it Demiani stated Another crazy business is Barnes and Noble because they will lose even more money than me because nobody will buy but they don t care There hasn t been a chain bookstore in downtown Los Gatos since Borders in the Old Town shopping center closed in and a few residents expressed surprise that a family-owned business could soon be replaced by a corporate-owned bookstore Los Gatos resident Zakiya Norton came into Vidi Vici on May as Demiani was trying to sell off his remaining merchandise She noted she constantly sought to stop by but had been too busy She declared it was upsetting that Barnes and Noble would be taking over the store s lease instead of a local bookstore We ve kept all the big chains out which I think is a good thing Norton reported And you re helping like a family who s allegedly in your district too A representative from Barnes and Noble validated that their new store will be just under square feet and is scheduled to open this summer Demiani disclosed it s unlikely that he ll reopen his antiques business at another storefront However they did find a warehouse to relocate their inventory Facing high rent and operating at a loss Demiani wryly explained Push everything from the cliff and jump from the bridge Do we have any other options As it turns out he does With his daughter s help Demiani launched a TikTok account that has gained chosen attention from younger users interested in the antiques business