Posted by
In times like these, we recognize how much our lives are filled with non-essentials (like shoes), and get back to the essentials (e.g., liquor).
Shoe Pavilion, a popular (popular with me that is) discount shoe chain, is going out of business.
When I first moved to the East Bay in 2001, people still stood in awe of the new IKEA and Bay Street was only an easy-credit dream in some developer’s eye. People largely shopped at Powell Street Plaza, which had a Tower Records, Trader Joe’s, Ethan Allen, JoAnn’s Fabrics, Ross, Pier 1 Imports, Circuit City (and kitty corner from that, The Good Guys!). The space you see occupied by Shoe Pavilion above was a SportMart (or Oshman’s? or Sports Authority? so many mergers…), and Shoe Pavilion was in a smaller storefront.
The Good Guys! succumbed to the Dark Side years ago. Then SportMart (or whatever) didn’t make the cut.
About a year ago the deluge started. Venerable Tower Records closed. So did JoAnn’s. Circuit City is on the brink, which would leave just Trader Joe’s (which would survive nuclear winter), Ross, Pier 1 (uh.oh.) and… WaMu?
Those “Going Out of Business” signs are so familiar to me, I would’ve sworn the stores were just handing the same ones down to the next tenant to go under until I finally saw two going under at the same time.
So while I was surprised to see my favorite shoe store closing (then again, what have I bought there lately?), I was not surprised to learn high-end furniture store Ethan Allen (founded in the depths of the Great Depression, btw) finally gave up the ghost too. But in the first good news in a while, there’s a Grand Opening coming this Halloween: BevMo! is taking over Ethan Allen’s storefront.
Although the name is ominous: The Good Guys! – Yahoo! – BevMo! — see a pattern?!
Tags: