Sign of the times: Pastiche closing
Carla Stine, owner of Pastiche Décor and Design (at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Walnut Street downtown) has decided to close up her store due to slow sales and the economy. She hasn't chosen a specific date yet—probably by the end of the month, at least—and has slashed prices on the store's inventory to liquidate. She says she will also be leaving the interior decorating business (she did the design our December issue profile home) and hopes to begin her Masters in Fine Arts in textile design later this year.
"It was a great ride, and I enjoyed and appreciated the support," Stine says. "I have no regrets." She also said she hopes that Pastiche's closing serves as a wake-up call of sorts for people to shop at local boutiques and shops. "Without [them] Springfield will begin to be genaric, just like every other town in the U.S.," she added. "Words are cheap. If they value it, they need to support it." She sees good things down the road for Springfield... she says the value of the culture, particularly downtown, has gone up a few notches in recent years, and she hopes whatever replaces Pastchie is "something good for Springfield."
Pastiche is located at 400 E. Walnut St., or at pastichedecor.com.
Matt Lemmon, editor
Reader Comments:
Your headline reads 'a sign of the times' - how, exactly? What 'times' are you talking about?
It's sad to see Pastiche close - the store has been a valuable asset to Downtown - but we're in danger of talking ourselves into a downward spiral here.
When I talk to established retailers downtown, their sales seem to have held up in 2008, though admittedly they didn't see growth.
It was the first holiday season for Global Fayre, so we have no historical perspective, but we were struck by the number of people that said they had made a conscious decision to shop downtown. Carla is right - if people value downtown, they need to support it. Right now, it seems to us, at least, that they are doing exactly that.