Fashion Bug marks 8th store to shutter doors in Jonesville strip mall, employees upset
With clothing store's departure, tenants brace for higher leases as surrounding businesses slowly close
David Steffen
Issue date: 1/22/09 Section: News
A row of disrobed mannequins and empty racks at Fashion Bug's final sale are the latest signs of another retail casualty in the Jonesville Plaza strip mall. The women's clothing store joins another seven empty stores in the plaza.
By Jan. 9, a "closed" sign greeted would-be customers.
"I kind of felt like it was coming," said Emily Laser, part-time sales leader. "They closed the Coldwater store a few months before. I felt it was just a matter of time."
On Oct. 15, 2008, Fashion Bug's corporate office informed the Jonesville location that it would be shutting down the store. GNC nutritional store, Radio Shack and Check 'n' Go are among those businesses that have abandoned the strip mall.
Laser said her store manager, Nicki Hamisfar, took the news especially hard. She invested 15 years in the store.
"Our store manager was devastated," Laser said. "She worked here 15 years. This was her whole life's work gone over a phone call."
The property adjacent to Wal-Mart has space for 14 businesses. Along with Blockbuster video, Rent-a-Center and King Buffet, which are still in business, Fashion Bug was a major anchor in the strip mall.
Laser and Hamisfar said they suspect "significantly" increased rents forced out their own store and other neighboring ones. The strip mall's owner did not respond to an interview request at press time.
"The stores can't afford to stay," Hamisfar said. "They're barely making it by now. As leases come up, [the landlord] raises it significantly."
She said that Fashion Bug's corporate office decided to close two percent of its stores during the past year. A combination of higher rent, the economy and a small-town location contributed to the store's closing. Hamisfar said she was upset with Fashion Bug's corporate office.
"I was angry and disappointed," Hamisfar said. "We'd gone to a meeting two weeks before, and I asked them, 'Is my store in danger?' They looked right at me and said, 'No, you should be good.' "
By Jan. 9, a "closed" sign greeted would-be customers.
"I kind of felt like it was coming," said Emily Laser, part-time sales leader. "They closed the Coldwater store a few months before. I felt it was just a matter of time."
On Oct. 15, 2008, Fashion Bug's corporate office informed the Jonesville location that it would be shutting down the store. GNC nutritional store, Radio Shack and Check 'n' Go are among those businesses that have abandoned the strip mall.
Laser said her store manager, Nicki Hamisfar, took the news especially hard. She invested 15 years in the store.
"Our store manager was devastated," Laser said. "She worked here 15 years. This was her whole life's work gone over a phone call."
The property adjacent to Wal-Mart has space for 14 businesses. Along with Blockbuster video, Rent-a-Center and King Buffet, which are still in business, Fashion Bug was a major anchor in the strip mall.
Laser and Hamisfar said they suspect "significantly" increased rents forced out their own store and other neighboring ones. The strip mall's owner did not respond to an interview request at press time.
"The stores can't afford to stay," Hamisfar said. "They're barely making it by now. As leases come up, [the landlord] raises it significantly."
She said that Fashion Bug's corporate office decided to close two percent of its stores during the past year. A combination of higher rent, the economy and a small-town location contributed to the store's closing. Hamisfar said she was upset with Fashion Bug's corporate office.
"I was angry and disappointed," Hamisfar said. "We'd gone to a meeting two weeks before, and I asked them, 'Is my store in danger?' They looked right at me and said, 'No, you should be good.' "
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Jon
posted 1/23/09 @ 2:01 PM EST
Forbes magazine recently reported that in a recent survey by America's Research Group, 33% of U.S. women said they plan no clothing purchases--none--in 2009. (Continued…)
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