Plaza Design co-owner Jane Labes was at the former site of her store in Old Town Eureka this morning, supervising as the last couch and shelves were gathered up and store equipment was loaded into U-Haul vans parked outside. Some of the merchandise is being transferred to her flagship store on Arcata’s Plaza, which is also slated for closure.
Labes said she was too busy to talk, and doesn’t know yet when the final sales will be rung up at the remaining Plaza Design store, which has been a landmark in Arcata for years.
At the Arcata store store today, some people were “pre-shopping” to get ready for eventual markdowns, said Tracy Morgan, one of the store managers. “We’re still kind of in shock,” Morgan said. “We knew something was in the works, but we didn’t know it was going to be so quick.”
The store’s departure from Eureka was “very sudden,” said Charlotte McDonald, executive director of Eureka Main Street. “It came as a surprise to all of us, and a big disappointment.”
This article appears in Burned by the Wait.
Hmm, I thought marijuana was the biggest infuser of cash into the local economy. Why is an opulent store like Plaza Design closing? If anyone could afford to shop there, it was growers. Is the pot market in a recession too?
When Plaza Design was sold to the current owner it just went down hill. I used to shop there (by the way I don’t grow or do drugs) the inventory and variety of home accessories lost it’s pizzazz. Probably due to the economy taking a hit too. It’s a shame because it was once a very fine store for home furnishings, local art and gifts.
Humm, yes. The dispensary market and an over production has dropped the whole sale price by as much as 1/3. Unfortunately, marijuana cultivation is an issue people like to spout of about without any real knowledge. To all snarkologists out there I say, we’re about to find out what this county will look like without Big Green.
Jane and her husband purchased the business just before the economy crashed. They are good people, but the market for their kind of business is terrible, and it was just a matter of time before they had to do something. My wife and I shop Plaza Design and did so just last week.
As for the 2:13 comment, the economy forced significant changes and adjusting inventory is one of them. You can not maintain a large inventory when sales are down. We all need to support our local mom and pop businesses.
I’ll miss the stationary and the boxed cards, no one else in the area has that selection and most only sell individual cards which is a rip off if you buy a good bit. Oh and I don’t grow or use.
Ok, this may sound cruel but I’m not surprised. There were too many locations. I like a lot of their stuff but, like many if not most Humboldt residents, I have to go with the best bargain. It was a store that I liked to look at but could not afford to purchase anything beyond earrings. I believe in supporting small business but I think they opened too many locations and stretched their finances thin. I actually was attempting to get a job there once and I knew something was awry when she cancelled my interview and pretty much told me they couldn’t afford to hire anyone.
Very sad news. I remember being surprised when I moved here to discover that the best place to get good greeting cards was a furniture store.
It’s definitely a tough economy.