"It didn’t always have what I needed and the prices could be higher than its competitors. And, yes, it’s just a hardware store. But as other landmarks in San Jose are vanishing — Mel Cotton’s Sporting Goods, the domed Century Theaters, Lou’s Village banquet hall, Race Street Fish and Poultry — I find myself wondering: What happens to the character of a city when some of its bedrock businesses disappear?" [
www.mercurynews.com]