![]() It makes it devastating to have to close,” Rica said. “The kindness everyone has shown us and the support, we appreciate that. “Jacksonville has been one of the kindest communities of all of our stores,” said Rica, noting that showed on Wednesday when people waited outside for two hours to get in and in the inside line for two hours. “We have been handing out the names of all the upholsters that we used because that is a dying craft,” she said.ĭespite having to close, Rica said Jacksonville and Northeast Florida customers have been good to their family and business. The sisters, meanwhile, are emphasizing that people should shop local whenever and wherever possible. “People are going to need fabrics regardless,” Rica said. She said it’s a matter of changing things up and seeing what works to be able to attract customers and keep the businesses open. Remaining open are stores in Boca Raton, Stuart, Vero Beach and Altamonte Springs/Orlando, Rica said. They previously closed their Miami store. ![]() ![]() Retail has changed so much, she said, that it’s just hard to succeed. “We’re still trying to figure out if any can make it and survive,” Rica said. Rica said they are considering the future of their other four stores in Florida. They have received numerous inquiries about the property, but no decisions have been made, Rica said. She said their parents still own the building and property. We’d like to sell everything,” Rica said. “We’re just going to see how much we can sell. The going-out-of-business sale continued Friday and she said they didn’t know when it would end. Some are going to other Calico Corners stores, and some chose to return to retirement or find another part-time job. Rica said some of their employees didn’t return when the shop reopened following the pandemic shutdown. Many people don’t even know how to sew any more.” “They buy Bed-in-a Bag or run out to Rooms To Go. “Generationally, the younger people are not shopping in fabric stores,” she said. Rica said aside from the pandemic, changes in the retail business and customer base led to the closure. The Jacksonville shop was part of a nationwide fabric, furniture and interior design retail chain.įounded in 1948 in Bedford Village, N.Y., Calico Corners evolved from a single small store into a nationwide chain with more than 70 stores - most owned by franchisees like the sisters, the company website showed. RELATED | Read more Jacksonville-area news Back then, their mother lived upstairs while the establishment was renovated into the fabric store. When their family bought the building it was Saki Shop Liquors. “They were telling me that it’s been three years to 15 years since they’ve been in our store but they didn’t want to see us close,” Rica said. You wait until your couch is worn out or you want to redo a room,” she said. But buying fabric, it’s not like you do that every day. “So many people said over the 37 years we’ve been there that they’ve decorated their whole homes and everything. Rica asked many of the customers when was the last time they had shopped at Calico Corners. “It took almost four hours to get everyone in the store through the line because of course, we could only let so many people in at one time because of the pandemic regulations,” she said. Gray labeled a bolt of fabric at the cash register as shoppers waited to pay for their purchases Wednesday. “I’m going to miss it ,” said Tonya Gray, who’s worked at the shop since 2004. ![]() Many came looking for the discounted deals on fabric and other store inventory while some just wanted to say goodbye to the sisters as well as longtime employees of the business. Shoppers stood patiently in line early Wednesday, the first day of the going-out-of-business sale at the store, 4725 San Jose Blvd. “Even before the coronavirus, we were really, really struggling to make ends meet and keep our doors open.” We have not been able to get people in the store,” she said. Perhaps best known for its decorator fabrics and upholstery, Calico Corners also specialized in furniture, bedding, window treatments and interior design consultation. So that in itself, emotionally, made this decision harder.” She and her sister, Stacy Silvestri, are co-owners of the popular Lakewood shop that’s closing its doors permanently after 37 years in business.Īs rewarding as it was to see customers filling the aisles amid the colorful bolts of fabric, it was also heart-wrenching. It was a bittersweet sight for Kelly Rica. Social distancing 6 feet apart, shoppers stood in line two hours or more Wednesday to go inside Calico Corners - a longtime family-owned Jacksonville fabrics store. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |