EVERETT – The owner of the Everett Public Market has big plans for the historic brick building: new restaurants, more shops and office space.
Those plans won’t include an antique mall that has occupied the top floor of the building at the corner of California Street and Grand Avenue for more than 25 years.
The Grand Central Antique Mall’s last day open for business will be Dec. 31, owner Jeff Garner said.
He decided to close the business after his rent more than doubled. Garner wouldn’t say how much he pays, but he said the increase was enough to make doing business in the space impossible. He considered moving but couldn’t find another site in a central location with affordable rent and adequate parking.
“The reality is that investors who buy a building in Everett either tear it down or raise the rent because they’ve got bills to pay,” Garner said.
The mall almost shut its doors permanently after a 2004 fire. The fire set off sprinklers, dumping thousands of gallons of water on merchandise, carpeting, insulation and fixtures. The antique dealers rallied, but business during the last year hasn’t been good, Garner said.
Even before the rent increase, the mall had struggled to attract customers who flocked to better known Snohomish for antiques. Two flights of stairs and no elevator deterred customers, too, he said.
Many of the more than 50 dealers who maintain booths are upset the mall is closing, Garner said. Some plan to find space elsewhere, and others will call it quits.
On a recent weekday afternoon, a handful of customers cruised the fluorescent-lit aisles. Some shelves sat empty, while others had signs offering discounts as deep as 90 percent off.
“Seeing this go is like losing a relative,” Garner said. “It’s a little hard to take.”
Bellevue businessman Lobsang Dargey bought the building last spring for $2 million. He is optimistic about the growth in downtown Everett and said his building has the potential to bring more small businesses to the area, something that would help the local economy.
“I’m sad the business had to be closed,” Dargey said of the mall. He added that maintaining an old building is expensive. So far, he has spent several hundred thousand dollars improving the nearly century-old, 50,000-square-foot building.
Improvements include a new sprinkler system and renovating the top floor into first-class office suites with high ceilings, exposed brick and crown molding. He plans to replace a freight elevator with a passenger elevator soon and pave the gravel parking lot.
He hinted that some “potentially good tenants” were already lined up, including a national restaurant or entertainment spot. Dargey said he expects two long-time tenants, The Sisters restaurant and the Sno-Isle Natural Foods Co-op, will stay.
Chris Kindrachuck owns Trash, a basement-level shop featuring a mix of collectibles, music memorabilia and vintage clothes.
He is optimistic about the new owner and the planned changes, which include an improved back entryway to his shop.
“He’s right there working with us,” Kindrachuck said. “It’s good to see this building coming back together.”
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.
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