Weisfield: End of an Era
After being in business for more than fifty years in the same downtown location, Weisfield Jewelers has closed.
It was a corporate decision to close the store. From what I understood, the Port Angeles branch had plenty of business. Let’s hope that space won’t be vacant too long. I have no idea what Weisfield’s rent was, or what the landlord will be jacking it up to. But the same landlord owns the toothpick-sized space next door to Weisfield, and it’s been vacant for eons. They’ve been asking $700 a month rent for that microscopic space, but they recently came way down to $650.
It was a corporate decision to close the store. From what I understood, the Port Angeles branch had plenty of business. Let’s hope that space won’t be vacant too long. I have no idea what Weisfield’s rent was, or what the landlord will be jacking it up to. But the same landlord owns the toothpick-sized space next door to Weisfield, and it’s been vacant for eons. They’ve been asking $700 a month rent for that microscopic space, but they recently came way down to $650.
Labels: Weisfield Jewelers Port Angeles
posted by Tom Harper at 5:07 PM
30 Comments:
I was loolking through that article to see how many other their other stores were being closed, or is ONLY the Port Angeles store.
" Port Angeles: Great, and getting Better!"
According to the article, DelGuzzi's own it. They always want an arm and a leg for everything.
Harder to compete too, with all the other places where you can get jewelry.
I was downtown today, and spent a few hours walking around from 11:30 through the lunch hour and then some.
I don't know how any of the merchants are surviving! Virtually every place I walked by was open for business, and empty of customers. The sidewalks were almost empty, other than some folks waiting for the Coho ferry, but they were empty handed.
On my way into town, I stopped to put gas in my car. The Jeep in front of me had BC plates, and the person was filling her tank. By coincidence, I essentially followed her into Port Angeles, and to the downtown area. She drove straight to the ferry terminal, and waited for the ferry in her vehicle.
Every time I've done this, this year, downtown has been a virtual ghost town. I've done this "informal survey" of mine for years now. It is really quiet downtown.
What is the leadership in this community doing to try to keep this place alive? Don't tell me things are great, and getting better. I can see the truth for myself.
"Don't tell me things are great, and getting better. I can see the truth for myself."
And so could Barb Fredricks if she ever got out of her plush, luxuriously appointed office. 50K a year ... for what?
It's after Xmas, of course it's going to be slow!!!!
What leadership are you refering to? It's up to me as to how well my business is doing, not someone else. And I don't plan on moving anytime soon.
"Virtually every place I walked by was open for business, and empty of customers. The sidewalks were almost empty"
Isn't it always like that? Whenever I go downtown there's only ever been maybe six people total walking on the sidewalks. That's mid-day for years.
It's worse now, yeah, but it's always had that "scary ghost town" vibe to me.
DelGuzzi's don't seem to care if their properties here are occupied, a number of them are empty, they are big and making big money in other places.
My son worked for them in Vegas, of course things are slowing down there now also.
Happy New Year... Be safe and sane this evening, whatever in the hell sane is. I've gotten a hotel room and will start the new year out with some hot showers.
"Every time I've done this, this year, downtown has been a virtual ghost town. I've done this "informal survey" of mine for years now. It is really quiet downtown."
Are we paying attention yet?
"It's after Xmas, of course it's going to be slow!!!!
What leadership are you refering to? It's up to me as to how well my business is doing, not someone else. And I don't plan on moving anytime soon.
7:52 AM, December 31, 2009"
Oh, really? So, you as a downtown merchant see no value in what the Downtown Business Association, the Port Angeles Business Association, the Port of Port Angeles, the Port Angeles city council, the Economic Development Council, Harbor-Works, the Incubator, the Lincoln Skills Center, etc do in regards to supporting business activities in Port Angeles?
"... no value in what the Downtown Business Association, the Port Angeles Business Association, the Port of Port Angeles, the Port Angeles city council, the Economic Development Council, Harbor-Works, the Incubator, the Lincoln Skills Center, etc do in regards to supporting business activities in Port Angeles?"
I'm not the business owner who posted, but you seriously can't be implying that any of those institutions do a single thing toward supporting the downtown businesses.
The PADA is the absolute worst when it comes to downtown business support - unless you consider an endless stream of bulk emails and a ridiculous monthly "newsletter" support. I agree with the poster earlier this morning: 50 thousand a year for that?!
Please reread my post! Never said that these groups have no value.
Read my LIPS!
"It's up to me as to how my business is doing, not someone else".
Does Aberdeen have a downtown association where the president makes 50k? Some people here seem to think we can be Port Townsend when in reality we are more like Aberdeen: dead to the world. Why would either place be a destination to visit? Just someplace to stop for fuel on your way to someplace better. My family and I did some holiday shopping downtown PT and it was packed. No vacancies, either. We tried to shop downtown PA, but to no avail. My wife said she saw a total of 3 people out two days before christmas and they were the dudes who tried to get her into the creepy gateway bar (or whatever it is on lincoln) to drink with them. Also, can the downtown association do anything about the Nazi displays in both of the pawn shops downtown? Just another classy holiday shopping experience courtesy of the PADA.
"Please reread my post! Never said that these groups have no value.
Read my LIPS!
"It's up to me as to how my business is doing, not someone else"."
Okay, maybe my question was phrased in a way as to be too complex and confusing. I'll try again.
You said: " What leadership are you refering to? It's up to me as to how well my business is doing, not someone else."
I replied with a list of the "leadership" that most in Port Angeles might think is involved with business support and enhancement (although others will question whether they generate a value worth what they suck out of the community).
And also, asked if you thought they had any such value, in response to your statement :" It's up to me as to how well my business is doing, not someone else.", which seems to me to say no one else is responsible for how well your business is doing but you.
If it's about you, and " ..not some one else.", what am I not understanding?
how is it the city can still collect for the PADA when it isn't a valid corporation? It was declared dead by the state back in July. What does this say about a group when they can't even keep their STATE filing in order?
And, please, someone explain to me how the city can collect for them? I think they SHOULD be dissolved, as the state has.
http://www.sos.wa.gov/corps/search_detail.aspx?ubi=601349585
The DelGuzzi's are part of the reason the downtown is in such sorry shape. Greedy scum-sucking slumlords. Their buildings are in poor repair, they charge too much, and they don't care if a store front is vacant. The three landlords who own MOST of the downtown should all be boiled in oil....as they have no interest in having a vibrant downtown.
The landlords can write a non functional property off on their taxes. If they get a tenant (sucker!) they get an arm and leg in rent. For them it's a win-win situation.
yes, and the slumlord landlords downtown have never put any money into their property -- they are full of fire hazards, and probably mold and asbestos, and who knows what else.
But, it's not like the city or the state is going to do anything about it.
"If it's about you, and " ..not some one else.", what am I not understanding?"
Hmmmmm What's not to understand.
The actions that I take bring customers to my business. Ya, I do get some help with speical events downtown that show folks who I am and what business I offer, but 99.9% comes from me, what I do and how I run that business. Pretty simple.
"My family and I did some holiday shopping downtown PT and it was packed. No vacancies, either. We tried to shop downtown PA, but to no avail. My wife said she saw a total of 3 people out two days before christmas and they were the dudes who tried to get her into the creepy gateway bar.."
Is the "leadership" in Port Angeles paying attention?
Or just paying themselves..
Was your wife visiting Downtown PA in the middle of the night? From what I was seeing Downtown was quite busy the days before X-mas.
I do have to agree, PT does know how to attract customers.
"Was your wife visiting Downtown PA in the middle of the night? From what I was seeing Downtown was quite busy the days before X-mas."
What, you saw 4 people in a day, in downtown Port Angeles?
Downtown is never "busy". The merchants have a hard go of it....an inept set of associations (full of people angling for their own pocket linings), a city government that makes NOTHING EASY (from parking to permits), a state government that is hell bent on taxing small businesses OUT of business, to horrid landlords, and a town full of people who think that Walmart is the best thing next to heaven (cheap assed low life thinking).
We've had stupid choices all along, and most importantly, the town was so firmly against being a "tourist town" that it has never developed any vision, and any attempts have been half-hearted and abandoned much too soon.
....the infighting, the self interest promotion, and the short sighted will push this place into a "ghost town" category. Check out Wells, Nevada if you want to see the future...
http://images.travelpod.com/users/alvrez/usa-2007.1192062060.small-townx-nevada.jpg
"Check out Wells, Nevada if you want to see the future..."
The Wells website says it's the "best location for your business... Catch Wells fever! Live the Dream!" So, clearly, Wells is a happenin' town. Just like Port Angeles.
Hey, speaking of living the dream, how did that essay contest go? You know, the one the PADA sponsored for "your dream for the community"? Anyone enter?
I don't think PA will become a ghost town exactly. A lot of the vacant storefronts are already filled. But anon 12:29 makes some good points. This town lacks vision and focus, is held back by infighting, isolationism and delusions of grandeur. Time to stop dreaming and tackle reality instead.
I shopped downtown for Christmas gifts. I did go to one book store in town and buy 5 books, a cookbook and some cards, but when I asked them if they were expecting a certain book in my inquiry was greeted with such rudeness that while I was being checked out I was shaking. My husband just looked at me and said "What are you doing? Let's just go." I do not know what the total would have been, but it was somewhere in the $150 range. I do not think I will ever be able to step in that store again. If the businesses downtown want to remain open and prosperous, they might consider treating customers (even if they have to fake it) with respect. Amazon got my money and I ended up probably spending less. I did buy from The Twilight Store, the natural store above Michaels, a cert. for Michael's, a pile of fishing stuff from Waters West and some kayak and hike stuff from the Outdoor place. All super nice and helpful. I also got cards and scrapbooking stuff for my sis from the stationers on Front. Oh and some Dairy Queen certs for my nephew!
What to do about those biz owners that do not seem to care whether the buildings are occupied? It is some depressing place our downtown.
I am with the people or person thinking the incubator is a sinkhole for cash and not the least helpful in generating new and good biz for our town. they have said as much themselves. THEY cannot even run their own business!
I work downtown and this Christmas season was okeh, but I've seen it much, much busier.
People closed their wallets after the 2000 elections and all the terrorism and the economic meltdown solidified that behavior. It will be a long, long time before people start spending money as wildly and freely as they did in the '90s ... if ever.
Where I work it would get busy for about two, two and a half hours, then get quiet for an equal amount of time and then an up tick in busy-ness until closing. Saturday through Tuesday of Christmas week was the busiest and then it mellowed out Wednesday and Thursday. Small goups of people, nothing big.
It will probably be the same next Christmas.
I live downtown, and can tell you it is certainly very slow most of the time, with hardly any street walkers. I hope it gets better within time, but I'm not so sure of that.
I knew that Weisfields was closing before the news article, because my dad and I went in their looking at their jewelry on the Christmas shopping night. When asking if we could come back if something didn't fit correctly, the girl said the store would be closing day after Christmas.
And I do have to comment that the tiny sized store front next door will take a long time more to fill, probably. They went down to 650.00 monthly, but that's quite high still for that tiny of a space. Not much of a store can go there, although I believe that it is the same size as the Puzzle Book Store.
Yes Downtown P.A. is lookin' sad these days.
"People closed their wallets after the 2000 elections and all the terrorism and the economic meltdown solidified that behavior. It will be a long, long time before people start spending money as wildly and freely as they did in the '90s ... if ever."
And.. "My family and I did some holiday shopping downtown PT and it was packed. No vacancies, either."
Maybe people " people closed their wallets" in Port Angeles, but not elsewhere.
We get back to the decisions made.
" We've had stupid choices all along, and most importantly, the town was so firmly against being a "tourist town" that it has never developed any vision, and any attempts have been half-hearted and abandoned much too soon."
How to bring in "outside money" to Port Angeles, because it is clearly not big enough to have a self supporting economy. With most retail shopping now located in Sequim, and the new Walmart Superstore to open on the outskirts of town (far away from the downtown core) later this year, Port Angeles cannot look to increasing it's retail shopping businesses. It can't support the existing businesses adequately.
But, the leadership in Port Angeles STILL pursues the unrealistic fantasies as demonstrated by the goals of Harbor-Works.
Bad decisions.
If and when I can't drive customers to my storefront I would have to close the doors. I'm still open and so are most of the business owners in downtown. Hmmmm if there are no customers in downtown why are we still open.
Oh, I guess we just need to be negative. Or we were store owners that sat on their asses and expected customers to break down our doors. And then there are those that are just plain jealous over anyone that is really successing in this town. Or how about that person that just has to rank on anyone that mispells something, get another life and go hang out somewhere else. Your the problem in this town.
"Or how about that person that just has to rank on anyone that mispells something, get another life and go hang out somewhere else. Your the problem in this town."
Umm.. that is spelled " You're".. as in " You ARE ". Not to be confused with "Your".. as in "Your education".
the long time businesses aren't straddled with the debt of too high rents. Go out and check out what some of the empty store fronts are asking for their places. A NEW business, with permits, and fees, and occupancy inspections, filling the shelves with product, and advertising -- have barely a snowballs chance in hell of surviving more than a year.
Look at how many businesses have folded....in the last 5 years.
The problem is..with a high overhead, and high taxes, and high fees -- and the newspapers unbelievable rates ($600 for an ad, and they "bait and switch" too...tell you one price, then when the bill comes, it's way higher! Bastards!). How do you get your word out? To do a direct mailer to every person in PA costs and arm-and-a-leg, even with bulk mailing permits. With the newspaper out of the reach of most new businesses....the only avenue left is radio. That's got mixed results, some better than others, but, meanwhile, you're competing (no matter what you do) with big box stores AND Walmart.
I'm sorry...I did everything I could, over 70 hours a week, and still couldn't keep a business afloat...and THEN when the landlord wanted to raise the rents when the lease was up -- as it is utilities keep going up, the parking permit fees for employees were killing me, the PADA fees were a drain (for no return), and so on.
Driving business to the door..is such a nice sentence, but unless you are a long-time business, or have an unbelievable slush fund (to put into the business for the first 1-2 years, or more) ....there are few vehicles with which you can drive business anywhere, much less to your door.
Seriously, quit being smug....it's killing those of us who've lost our shirts in this town.
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