NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) — It's a major loss for MacArthur Center and its shoppers.
Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma have decided to close their doors early next year. Both stores will shut down by the end of Jan. 2019.
Already, signs hang from the outside of the stores, announcing close-out sales with the hope shoppers will walk through the doors for the last time.
One Hampton woman, Ella Miskelly, said she has been a loyal shopper at both stores for years.
"It’s kind of sad to hear that Williams-Sonoma and the Pottery Barn are closing,” said Miskelly.
Others in the community were sounding off about the closures on neighborhood website Nextdoor.com. They called the shut-downs “a loss,” “really disappointing,” and “a pity.”
James Wofford, the manager of MacArthur Center said he and staff members fought hard to convince both retailers to stay and renew their leases, but they were not successful.
“You see them leave, it's like losing a part of your family. We are very sad to see them leave,” said Wofford.
A spokesperson for Pottery Barn said the closure at MacArthur is due to the store's parent company opening new Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma locations in Virginia Beach Town Center earlier this year in July.
The company wants to maximize productivity and profits with a single location.
However, Wofford feels that doesn't have to be the case.
“We really believe that this market was a market that could've sustained two Pottery Barns and two Williams-Sonoma,” said Wofford. “Believe it or not, we talked to our managers here and sales were good. So, it was one of those things that retailers make decisions about markets without really fully understanding the market.”
Miskelly said MacArthur Center is her favorite mall in the region, she’ll continue shopping there under one condition:
“As long as Nordstrom doesn't move out,” said Miskelly.
There's been talk of a Nordstrom exit from the mall. As of now, the department store’s lease will continue through March of 2019. From there, the store will be on a month-to-month lease. Nordstrom hasn't resigned a long-term lease, but there's no official word that Nordstrom will close.
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