While all of the drama with Joe was now in the rear view mirror and all was well with the world, it was decision time for me. The lease for Belaggio Jewelers was now up and ending on May 30th,2016. My business location, home away from home for the last sixteen years, was up for renewal. My landlord sent me a letter offering another five year extension with a large initial increase in rent and a five percent per year increase on top of that. Were they crazy? I was paying too much already! In addition, the surrounding neighborhood was in decline and I worried constantly about our future safety and business in general. This offer was unacceptable and I was forced to make a life changing decision. After twenty six years on Cottman Avenue, Belaggio Jewelers would be closing its doors in the City of Philadelphia and moving to the burbs. This was big.
I had my eye on a store in Warminster Pennsylvania in Bucks County. Only about fifteen minutes from my home in Doylestown, the store was in an older shopping center but at one of the busiest intersections around. I liked the location because it was right next to a very busy Dry Cleaners. Lots of traffic. The store was small and needed a complete renovation. It had been empty for six years. The rent was perfect though. It would be my seventh location. A whole new start, forty five minutes north of Cottman Ave. Negotiations went well with the new landlord and 620 York Road was now the new location for my store. So much work to be done.
Work began immediately on the “Going out of Business/ Moving sale”. Signs were put up in the windows, advertising in the local papers initiated and everything priced to move. I needed to move a lot of inventory. Raising cash and reducing my inventory would be key right now. I had to be ready to shut down at the end of May and start construction right away on the new location. Of course, the construction would be done by “Yours Truly” along with my cohorts in the trades. To have friends in the trades is a beautiful thing. To be experienced in construction yourself, even better. You know of my past work doing construction and tenant fit-ups. I always built my own stores. This would be no different. Here goes nothing!
Our last three months at the store went beautifully. The sale was a huge success. We moved a lot of inventory and raised a comfortable amount of capital to be able to move forward. I was projecting an opening date for the new store of August 1st. Sixty days after closing the Philly doors. Ambitious, eh? I enlisted the help of some strong young men and a big Ryder truck to complete the clean out of the old store. It took about a week to dismantle the showcases and clean the place out. We transported everything that I would be reusing up to Warminster in a few trips. Actually a lot of trips. After everything was completed, I took a few pictures of the empty space and a selfie by the front door. It was the end of an era. Twenty eight years of business in the City of Philadelphia. Kind of sad to walk away after all of those years. I locked the door and handed the keys to the mall security guard. Adios, my friend. It was nice knowing you.
Next Up: A Crazy Summer