Last month I noted that Studio Blue Digital Print and Copy was for lease, and now Mika Specialty Salon, located right next door on Locust St. has closed as well. According to their website, they had been in business there for 11 years.
Now that the entire building has vacated, I wonder what the owner has in store. It’s a prime location right in downtown Walnut Creek.
U Threads, the Cal related clothing store located on the back side of Broadway Plaza will be closed by next week, so if you’ve been waiting for some Cal gear now is your chance to pick something up at 40% off. The SFO store will also be closing with only the Stanford gear at the Palo Alto store remaining for now, although they plan on reopening elsewhere in the future.
It looks like some retailers are having a hard time on this side of Broadway Plaza. Last week I noted that Super Silver Jewelry, located right next to U Threads, recently closed as well.
This is the sign on the door of Yogurt Park in Broadway Plaza. Does anyone know why they don’t accept credit cards? Is it because of the extra fees they get charged or actually setting up the system to accept them in the first place? I ask because it seems like it would be more convenient for customers to be allowed to use credit cards, and considering other yogurt places nearby accept them, like Yogurtland and Coco Swirl, it would be in their interest to accept them as well.
Maybe Yogurt Park and similar stores are so well known and in such great locations that they can continue to function like it’s the 70s and 80s and accept checks. Has anyone ever seen someone write a check to buy yogurt?
Ming Quong, the quaint downtown Walnut Creek jewelry and gift shop run by Jim and Nona Wyman since 1969 may not be able to renew their lease in September if plans go through with The Pizza Place a couple of doors down getting sold and turned into an organic restaurant and store which would expand through to the Ming Quong store. Ming Quong is named after an orphanage in the East Bay where Nona grew up, and they have a lot of support from the community. Check out a couple of the many notes people have written for support:
This is one of my favorite stores in Walnut Creek. My parents have been comming here before they were married.
-from a childI have been coming to Ming Quong for almost twenty years, and it’s the most unique store in Walnut Creek. If it closes, it would be a great loss to the community.
If their lease is not renewed they would still like to remain in downtown Walnut Creek if they can find the right location. This was my first time visiting the store and it reminded me of something straight out of Berkeley. A nice change from the typical Walnut Creek shops. They are located at 1517 1/2 N. Main St. across from Prima Ristorante, so if you’re in the area stop by to show your support and check out the things they have to offer, it’s quite interesting.
Way back in October of last year, I posted about Hanna’s Bags moving to a different location, and now it’s all coming together with the uproar over Ming Quong potentially moving as well. If you look closely in the above photo you’ll notice an empty storefront, formerly Hanna’s Bags, between Dudum-owned The Pizza Place and Ming Quong (out of frame at left).
It turns out that the building is owned by Jack Dudum, the father, and according to the owner of Ming Quong, Jim Wyman, there may have been plans to sell The Pizza Place to an organic restaurant and store that would expand into Hanna’s Bags and Ming Quong. Eventually, people even stopped by to take measurements, confirming their suspicions. However, these people thought they were leaving in April even though their lease is not up until September, and so they don’t know whether the deal is going to go through or not.
Stay tuned… I wonder what the Dudums will say about this.
I’ll admit I’m not the most fashionable dresser out there, and when I saw this display at the Walnut Creek Neiman Marcus the other day, I thought to myself, “Who would wear this kind of outfit around here”? So I pose this question to everyone out there, what do you make of this?
This ramp is located by the Walnut Creek Nordstrom men’s department; the main ramp is wheelchair accessible. I wonder what the story behind this is. It’s obviously designed to be wheelchair accessible, so were the laws changed about maximum slope, was there an accident that caused them to embed that sign into the ground, or was it something else? Does anyone know what happened?
Also, note the spelling, “WHEEL CHAIRS” as opposed to “WHEELCHAIRS”.
The Super Silver Walnut Creek jewlery store, located in Broadway Plaza near Nordstrom, has been closed since the end of February. According to their Facebook page they still have stores in Capitola, Santa Cruz and Sacramento.
Chanel shop within Walnut Creek Neiman Marcus
The Neiman Marcus store in downtown Walnut Creek features a wide variety of high-end women’s handbags, so I thought I should show off the collection. Note that the Chanel shop pictured above sells other goods in addition to handbags.
Gucci shop within Walnut Creek Neiman Marcus
Check out the Balenciaga and Valentino sections after the jump
