By Nick Diamantides,
Staff Writer
After about seven years of being one of the most widely recognized businesses in the California Heights neighborhood, Jan’s Antique Mall (a.k.a. Mr. Jan’s Antique Mall) is going out of business. Jan. 15 is the last day to buy their vintage furniture, antique items and collectibles. Most of the dealers who rent space in the 20,000-square-foot building have greatly reduced their prices.
“It’s mostly just a sign of the times,” said mall operator Steve Greenup. “The antique business is largely dependent on disposable income, and people have less of that right now.”
Greenup and his former wife Jan opened the mall in 2000 but never sold their own antiques from the facility. Instead they rented space to individual antique dealers.
“We had as many as 55 dealers operating from this building at one time,” Greenup said. “That number has declined considerably in the past few years.” He explained that rising gasoline and food prices have reduced the average family’s buying power. “People have to buy groceries and gas and they have to pay for car repairs and other necessities,” he said. “But when money gets tight, they’re not going to spend it on antiques.”
The business continued to hold its own even after Greenup and his wife divorced about two-and-a-half years ago, but then the housing market crash hit. “A lot of people found themselves with higher monthly mortgage payments for a house with a reduced value,” Greenup said. “That meant even less disposable income, and even fewer people buying antiques.”
Another factor in the mall’s decline, according to Greenup, was that most of the dealers who rented space there did not have the time and resources to promote the mall.
“Most of them have jobs and families, and for them this is a hobby and a way to make a little extra money,” he said. He explained that for the mall to truly prosper, more of the dealers would have had to man their own spaces throughout the week and all of them would have had to work together on a regular basis to organize special events and other promotions designed to bring more shoppers into the mall.
“I understand that most of them just didn’t have the time,” Greenup said. “I did what I could to market the mall, but I couldn’t do it all myself. There’s a lot involved in managing a 20,000-square-foot building with so many independent dealers in it.”
Greenup noted that declining revenues, increased utility bills, fees imposed by the City of Long Beach and fines he had to pay for the times the building’s burglar alarm was accidentally triggered persuaded him it was time to close the mall.
“I think a 10,000 square-foot-building would probably work for a business like this,” he said. “Another business–one that is not dependent on disposable income–will probably do well in this location.”
Property owner Mel Pinkham said he was looking for such a business and was in discussions with several interested parties.
“At this point it’s just too early to say what might be going in there,” he said. “There are several rumors circulating, but the truth is we are looking at a variety of businesses that will enhance the community without negatively impacting the adjacent residential neighborhoods.”
He added that the businesses being considered would be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. operations, with no high-volume traffic.
‘We’ve always been concerned about the good faith of the community, and that priority is not going to change,” Pinkham said.
California Heights Neighborhood Association President John Royce said the community has always had good faith in Jan’s Antique Mall. “We’re sad to see it go,” he said. “It’s been a focal point for this part of Long Beach for a long time and Steve has always been very helpful to the association.”
Royce said his biggest concern was that a new business locating there might have early-morning or late-night operations that would disturb the peace of nearby residences, but he would have no problem with a business that kept reasonable hours.
Greenup said he trusted Pinkham to do what was right for the community. “I could not have asked for a better landlord,” he said. “He’s always been very supportive and interested in helping people succeed.”
Greenup said he was exploring several options. “If possible, I would like to be a part of whatever business replaces the mall,” he said. “Preferably, the new business won’t be dependent on disposable income.”
Jan’s Antique Mall is located at 1133 East Warlow Road in Long Beach. For more information, call (562) 424-9935.
