FYI FYI (October 27, 2004)

THE BLOOMINGDALES OF PLAYSTATIONS? . . . In an effort to become a first-of-its-kind "upscale" video-game store, First Place Games plans to open an "upscale video-game store" at 463 University Avenue this December. According to CEO Robert Holm, who used to make video games for Microsoft and Dreamworks, said quality customer service is a rarity in the business and hopes it will help propel him to the top. Ultimately, Holm hopes it will grow into a chain.

TWO BECOME ONE . . . Gleim Jewelers and Johnson & Company Jewelers , two Peninsula jewelers with nearly 150 years of experience between them, plan to merge at the end of this year. With Peninsula history that dates back to the '30s and '40s, the jewelers are original tenants at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, and will operate as Gleim Jewlers out of the current Johnson & Company location at 111 Stanford Shopping center. The Johnson & Company store will close Dec. 31 for the remodel, with Gleim's location in Stanford Shopping center staying open until the construction is complete. While Gleim's purchased Johnson & Company 30 years ago, the two jewelers have operated separately until the announcement of the merger by Gleim's President Georgie Gleim on Oct. 19. Other Gleim's store locations in downtown Palo Alto and Los Altos will eventually carry many lines of jewelry that were previously only available at Johnson & Company.

IF YOU DON'T BUILD IT, THEY'LL STILL COME . . . Barton Architect , a Palo Alto architecture firm, has won an award from the Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Institute of Architects for its design of a San Francisco house that was never built. The four-story house, designed for a narrow lot just north of Golden Gate Park, was cited by jurors for its qualities as an "urban prototype" and for its "clear, simple relationship of spaces" both vertically and horizontally.

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