Oh, Just Closing A Store
You might have read the announcement that our Nifong location is closing at the end of this month and you probably want ALL THE DETAILS. (I would too, so I get it.). So here we go:
For starters, the lease on our Nifong location ended not long ago and we’ve been renting in a month-to-month agreement while I stewed around about our best course of action moving forward. Our West location lease still has around five and a half years remaining on it.
And as with leases from our current landlord, no maintenance is covered at all - no doors, no windows, no heating and air, no roof leaks, no whatever you can possibly imagine. Short of a catastrophe involving our insurance, any building issues are 100% at our cost. Now, I don’t understand how 10 tenants in one building can all be responsible for 10 sections of roofing and that be good for the building, but I’m not roofing expert. I’ve spent the better part of 12 years praying to the heavens above that I never have a conversation about the roof at either store.
That said, it’s leaking in two places at West and it was evident in the heavy rains today but I can’t emotionally deal with that right now.
And I know that a lease written with these provisions sounds INSANE but our landlord is outrageously more powerful, wealthy, and prepared with a team of attorneys than you could ever guess. And like Taylor Swift says, “play stupid games, win stupid prizes”. Except our stupid prize is two broken doors and a heating and air system breathing life for it’s very last days.
But also, two storefronts is A LOT TO DEAL WITH. And I’ll be honest to say that my burnout has about taken me down over the past year. If you know me well, you know this to be true.
Add in outrageous food costs, incrementally rising labor costs each year, and a cautious economy, and you’ll find a tired family in a small business.
So…it sounds like an easy decision, but let me tell you…it hasn’t been. Be happy that you aren’t in my text contacts or in my inner circle of friends or in the same house as me or married to me because I have been A LOT. I love that Nifong store and so the tears have been plentiful. I won’t say the last month has been the worst thing I’ve ever been through but woof, it’s been rough. The front door won’t close and I’m mad and then I’m crying because I don’t want to leave all the good that happened in that store. Make it make sense.
Once we sent the letter terminating the lease, some pressure was alleviated. In case you are curious, Jean is THRILLED with our decision because she hates being hot and it is mostly hot in Nifong. And she hates when we don’t work at the same store, which can be often with two locations. But I keep feeling like something is wrong, like maybe I forgot my purse somewhere and then I remember, OH, JUST CLOSING A STORE.
For logistics, we are not letting go any of our staff and everyone is making the move to West. We are selling a lot of stuff that we don’t need since we have a full kitchen there and we will move the rest. So hit me up if you find yourself in the market for a microwave or a mop bucket.
I’m not mentally able to pick a final day for customers yet. We have to be fully out and ready for inspection on the last day of the month, so maybe the Thursday or Friday before then? I guess we will see how it goes over the next week.
A huge thank you to everyone who makes Nifong their regular store (and PLEASE COME TO WEST JUST AS REGULARLY). Despite all it’s mechanical woes, it will always be one of my favorite places for all the good that happened to us there and all the ways our family changed and grew there. For all my dramatics, I know we are making the best choice for PJP and for our family. We are so fortunate to have a storefront that is doing well just three miles away. And soon it will have a Nordstrom Rack shoe department across the parking lot, so how can anyone be sad around that?