Longtime card, gift store in Fresno's Sunnyside announces it will close after 37 years
Margie’s Hallmark has been a staple in Fresno’s Sunnyside neighborhood for decades.37 years, to be exact, offering Hallmark products and cards, along with gifts Margie's Hallmark, a gift store in Fresno's Sunnyside neighborhood, has announced it will close after 37 years. The owner, Tom Pearce, attributed the closure to increased sales decreases in the last five to six months, between 20 and 30 percent a month, and rising labor and insurance prices. He also cited the increasing number of homeless people at the shopping center as a factor, particularly in deterring customers from shopping there. Despite efforts to resolve the issue with Fresno Police and his city councilmember, Pearce says they have not been able to resolve this issue. He plans to stay open until May 15th to help customers celebrate Mother's Day and begin looking for a job.
Опубликовано : 4 недели назад от http://www.facebook.com/kmphfox26, Liz Gonzalez and Anissa Martinez в
Margie’s Hallmark has been a staple in Fresno’s Sunnyside neighborhood for decades.
37 years, to be exact, offering Hallmark products and cards, along with gifts for virtually any occasion.
“It’s in our blood. All the customers are like family to us,” says owner Tom Pearce.
Which makes the decision to close especially difficult, Pearce says.
“We’ve been having sales decreases in the last five to six months, between 20 and 30 percent a month, which is pretty large,” he says.
He says rising labor and insurance prices don’t help either.
There’s also the issue of the homeless people that gather at the shopping center, on the southeast corner of Clovis and Kings Canyon.
“The area itself, we’re having a big problem with homeless people that are deterring our customers from shopping here,” Pearce says. "We have older customers that are put off by having to walk through them if they’re camped out outside."
While there are cameras on site, Pearce says they don’t do much to deter people from the area.
He says meetings with Fresno Police and his city councilmember haven’t been able to resolve the issue either.
“They only have so many resources to work on it,” Pearce says.
Markdowns have started—with signs on displays reflecting 30 or 50 percent off items.
Pearce hopes to stay open through May 15th to help customers make memories for Mother’s Day.
Then, he says he will likely begin the process of looking for a job, too.
“It was an emotional decision to make,” Pearce says.