Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Domus, the popular kitchen and home accessories retailer that closed its downtown Pleasanton store in July 2008 is coming back.

Margaret Smith, owner of the flagship Domus store in Los Gatos, said she will close that store and relocate to Pleasanton, reopening the Domus store at 652 Main St. this summer. A smaller Domus store in the Willow Glen section of San Jose will remain open.

When Domus opened its Pleasanton store in September 1998, it was part of the Las Gatos operation. Then, Smith sold the Pleasanton business to John Maloney and his wife Cathy, who were allowed to continue using the name. The Maloneys later closed their business to pursue other interests, and the building has been vacant ever since.

Smith said Domus’ current lease with the Farwell Family in Los Gatos, which owns the land and the building, expires at the end of April and the renewal rent will be more than double. The store, which has a dozen employees, will close in late May, but the specific date has not been set.

“We would love nothing more than to stay in Los Gatos, but we simply cannot survive this rent increase, and there is no other suitable space available now,” Smith said. “We intend to return as soon as we possibly can.”

“Meanwhile, we hope our customers will continue to shop at Domus of Willow Glen and at our online store, and we invite everyone to visit our Pleasanton store when it reopens in June.”

Domus has been a Los Gatos landmark since 1969. Smith purchased the store at 40 N. Santa Cruz Ave. from its original owners in 1996.

“We are indebted to Los Gatos and the thousands of loyal customers who have supported Domus over the years,” she said.

She said customers come from all over the Bay Area and beyond to shop at the Domus store for kitchenware, home accessories, toys, books, stationery and other items. San Francisco Magazine once described Domus as a unique blend of Williams-Sonoma, Pier 1, Pottery Barn, Papyrus and Crate and Barrel.

The 8,500-square-foot Los Gatos store was originally the site of a gas station before a Dutch family opened the business under a different name in 1969. They changed the name to Domus in 1976.

When it was open for business here, Domus was one of only a few retail stores that kept late evening hours in downtown Pleasanton and was a popular after-dinner shopping spot.

“This is exciting news,” said Laura Olson, executive director of the Pleasanton Downtown Association. “Having the Domus building occupied with retail will be wonderful for our downtown will definitely create a lot of buzz!”

Pamela Ott, economic development manager for the city of Pleasanton, has been in the forefront of seeking tenants for the vacant Domus site. She said prospects told her the 11,000-square-foot building was either too big for their small retail businesses or too small for a drug store or fitness center or other possibilities, which also were considered.

“It turns out the best fit for Domus is Domus,” she said. “It’s great to see them coming back.”

Mayor Jennifer Hosterman agreed.

“I’m glad to see Domus re-opening its downtown store,” she said. “I think this community will be wildly ecstatic!”

Join the Conversation

3 Comments

  1. Thank you God for bringing Domus back. We have missed you so very much!! Downtown has not been the same without you. I am sure the other merchants will agree it will be great to have you back in the fold. Can’t wait for Summer now!.

  2. This is the best news I could wake up to this morning. We have all missed this store since its closing long ago. The location is perfect at a good crossroad intersection, with parking next door. What more could we ask for?

  4. Great news! My wife and I have missed having Domus downtown. It was always enjoyable to wander through the store, and we always ended up purchasing something. Welcome back.

  6. I have missed Domus and will be there opening day to celebrate their return. Let’s all give them our support and hopefully encourage more retailers to join our downtown community! Enough Salons!

  7. Now residents… let’s show Domus that we are happy that they are coming back – and Shop Downtown! We need to support our downtown businesses! Welcome back Domus!

  10. Ditto, ditto, ditto ~ Everyone will be happy once Domus is open again. The previous ownership, was charming and the store delightful. I am sure the New Domus will be just as charming and a delightful retail store to have back in our Pleasanton Downtown. I shopped there often and hoped it would be filled with another like styled retail but never thought another Domus would take it’s place. Surprised that some other city, Los Gatos, has Higher Rent than Pleasanton!

    A June opening is smart, as it’s the beginning of the Summer out and about crowd ~

  11. Wonderful news! For the past couple of years we have only had the overpriced designer cookware store and the overpriced products made-in-China store. Now a REAL store with lots of products and hopefully much better service. Having the original owners bring it back will be a good thing, the people who bought the name and the store from them were pretty clueless about the operation. A loss for Los Gatos but a real win for us.

  12. This is wonderful news! I am so glad they are coming back and I am sure this will be a very positive more for Domus and our downtown pleasanton community shopping experience!

  13. excuse me “about time?”

    I am grateful for ANY retail store in the downtown that can continue to do business here. The designer cookware store, you fail to mention the store name, is a quality store that has prices to match, no different than other quality Retail stores. You get what you pay for and I have to say, I shop for quality products everywhere I go. The previous Domus owners were fabulous people who helped me on a regular basis, were not as you complain “clueless” at all… wake up and smell the coffee.

  16. I am so happy Domus is going to return to Pleasanton. I lived near Los Gatos before I moved to Pleasanton and shopped at the store there and was sad when they closed it here.

  17. This is such GREAT news! Speculated often about what could take the place of Domus. The idea of Domus replacing itself never occurred to me. Brilliant! Hope Rick’s Picks can survive.

  19. I am also greatful for all the great retail shops
    who continue to do Business Downtown.
    Someone mentioned a win win for everyone?
    Someone is already wondering if Rick’s Picks will servive?
    It is all about supporting out entire Downtown!

  20. OMG! I can’t wait. This store was my ‘go to’ store!!!! This will be the best thing for Pleasanton to bring back Domus! I can’t say enough about the former staff, wonderful items for the family, gifts…hope it’s the same or similar! SO HAPPY!

    I’M GOING TO SCREAM FROM THE TOP OF MY HOUSE THAT DOMUS IS BACK. THANK YOU GOD, PLEASANTON, AND ANYONE WHO HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT!

    YES, YES, YES, YES!

  22. The Return of Domus…what great news. I always shopped for gifts there and will continue when they open. I will sleep better tonight.

  24. Yeah!!!! We love shopping at all the downtown stores, and miss Domus. Welcome back Domus!!! Now if Pleasanton Hardware could come back.

  25. It will be nice to have Domus return, though I am not screaming from my rooftop as others appear to be ready to do. I loved the variety Domus offered and the quality as well.

    The prior owners of Domus were NOT clueless. They were wonderful, excited and invested business owners who dealt with the price issues of a highend store and rising rents. They did a fantastic job. The issues they faced were no different than those faced by all downtown stores.

    May all of our shops do well!

  27. I’m certainly glad to see Domus coming back. The building, open for business downtown, when others believe the ‘shoppers’ have gone home is a blessing.
    Wandering through the wares always brings pleasure. Buying more than before is now more than ever important. Let’s keep Domus happy in Down Town Pleasanton.

  30. I think I speak for most of the downtown business owners when I say that we are THRILLED to have Domus re-open. It is a fabulous store and we desperately need more retail downtown. It is great to read all the positive comments.

    If you love the stores downtown, please continue to support them. Domus originally closed because of a lack of sales. Many of us are doing everything we can to stay open, but we can’t without the continued support we get from our community. Visit your favorite store this weekend. The recent weather has had a severe impact on downtown businesses. We miss everyone!

  32. OMG..I am so excited about Domus coming back to Pleasanton. I live in San Diego (Point Loma) and fly up to visit Sister and Mother, this was our favorite hang out, can’t wait for the opening, I will even fly up for the Grand!! Congratulations Pleasanton for having such a wonderful downtown and a fabulous store like Domus to serve your community.

  33. I am not a fan of Domus.
    Quite a few years ago, I bought a novelty item there that was supposed to be a revolutionary design for an omelette pan. It was a piece of junk that couldn’t do an omelette. I tried it once, and that became clear.
    I even eventually dealt with the owner of Domus, Margaret Smith, and she refused to refund the price (which was about $30+ back then). I thought that was very cheap and short-sighted of her and the store.
    The item was clearly a piece of junk where the packaging over-represented and misrepresented what the device could do.
    I think that any decent retailer should and would refund the price of something under those circumstances of an item that was defective, misrepresented, etc. But Domus would not, even after going up to the top (Margaret Smith).
    Most reputable retailers today will accept the return of something even if it is not defective or misrepresented by the manufacturer. Look at Nordstrom, Costco, etc. They will take something back “no questions asked.” Those stores know that it is the customer who comes back time after time that is what makes a business thrive. It is not, as Domus thought, to try to hang on for dear life to the profit from a single $30 sale of a problematic product.
    After that incident, I decided that I would never go back to Domus, that I would never recommend it to anyone, and that I would tell people about that bad experience that even involved the store owner.
    On top of all that, in my view there is nothing worthwhile that Domus sells that you can’t get somewhere else from a retailer that has a better return policy and a better customer satisfaction approach.
    Domus might be a nice store to browse in if you are spending time meandering down Main Street and doing some shopping. But I would not buy anything there again.

  34. So “not a Domus fan” had a bad experience. It’s your right to complain and you might influence someone to your point of view.
    Here’s my point of view based on what you said — “Most reputable retailers today will accept the return of something even if it is not defective or misrepresented by the manufacturer. Look at Nordstrom, Costco, etc. They will take something back “no questions asked.”
    You are the customer who goes into a small store and checks the tags to see if you can find out how to get it online cheaper. If you do buy something you take it home, use it and try to find it cheaper online, only to insist on taking the “new and unused” product back for a refund. You will cut off tags, wear it once and insist when you take it back for a refund that it is “brand new”. You will verbally abuse the sale clerk (who might be making all of 8 bucks an hour) and you will cause a scene in the store because you now have buyer’s remorse over your purchase. You take that swimsuit home, wear it, and think the “no return on swimsuits” policy does not apply to you. After all you don’t have any creepy disease that might rub off on a swimsuit — nothing visible anyway. You might also be the customer who steals the merchandise and then brings it back for a refund, only to threaten a lawsuit when the “no receipt, no refund” policy is enforced. You have a chip on your shoulder the size of Texas and you will badger and intimidate anyone who does not allow you to have your way.
    Reputable retailers that accept anything and everything back have deep pockets and simply choose not to deal with trash like you. It is easier and cheaper for them in the long run to buy you off and hope that you never come back.
    The funny thing is that you WILL likely go into Domus just to satisfy your curiosity about whether or not you can intimidate them into allowing your abuse. The thing is this, many of us will recognize you because we have seen you all over town pulling the same crap. You are a bitter person who judges their worth by the trail of anger and intimidation that you leave in your wake. Enjoy your sense of power, the rest of us know better.

  36. I am a contented shopper of Domus. I have found many bargains as well as highend novelties. My experiences have always been satisfying. Even when I visit merely for the event of browsing, your staff has been kind and patient while I perused all of your goods and walked out buying nothing. So glad to see you coming back!

  37. I live in Dublin but love to shop Downtown Pleasanton. I welcome back Domas, we always enjoyed their store but in the last year or so we have been hooked on Rick’s Picks, the quality of their products is excellent and their discounted prices are fantastic. I will check out Domas but probably will continue to do our buying at Rick’s

  38. I am also not a fan of Domus, but when they were in town, I enjoyed window-shopping and looking around their store. I think I purchased something there once. But overall, I think a lot of their products were a bit overpriced. I do like Rick’s Picks though.

    I also don’t think it’s necessary to “attack” someones character because they posted a bad experience at the store. Very rude.

  39. Regarding the posting by “about time” in response to my earlier posting about a Domus customer service complaint:

    The posting by “about time” goes on for 3 paragraphs and 14 sentences accusing me of all sorts of things because I complained about Domus’ policy for customer service and returns.

    What is your problem “about time”? I am not any of the things that you rant and rave about in your 14 sentences of accusations. You launch into a tirade that has nothing to do with the subject, and you know nothing about me.

    It sounds like you have some anger management problems and some unresolved emotional issues. Why lash out at someone you don’t know regarding something that you don’t know anything about?

    You are probably the kind of person who actually does the 14 things that you listed in your posting. How else would you even know about all those things? I don’t know anyone who does any of those things. I have never even heard of people doing most of them. You have probably done all of them since you are so knowledgeable about them and can rattle them off like that.

    What is written by “about time” is a good example of how people criticize in others the faults that they see in themselves. They can’t admit that they have the fault, so they spend their time trying to point it out in others. The trouble with that is that the other people don’t have the fault and aren’t guilty of the conduct they get accused of.

    So “about time,” where do you get your wealth of experience with shoppers who do the 14 things that you mentioned? Do you do those things yourself? Do you have friends who do it? Do you work in sales and see some people do it?

    Have you thought about anger management counseling? Have you thought about why you lash out in hostility and anger at people you don’t even know, and accuse them of things that they don’t do and haven’t even heard of?

    You should have stopped writing in the first line of your posting where you said: “It’s your right to complain.” On that point, you were correct. On everything else, you were wrong and way off base.

Leave a comment