Aaron Brothers, the framing store on 8383 Santa Monica Blvd. at Kings Road, is closing
It is one of 94 Aaron Brothers stores that will be closed this year. Michaels the arts and crafts retailer based in Irving, Texas, said it will leave open only three of its Aaron Brothers stores – two in Dallas and one in Fort Worth.
A story about the closing in the Dallas Morning News said Michaels closed 15 stores last year. Going forward it will operate Aaron Brothers as a “store within a store,” an increasingly common practice by brand retailers whose brick-and-mortar stores face significant competition online.
Michael’s will rebrand its Framerspointe.com website as AaronBrothers.com and offer Aaron Brothers’ products online.
The Morning News reported that sales from Aaron Brothers stores didn’t contribute to Michael’s operating income last year.
The decline in brick and mortar retail outlets has become an issue for cities across the nation. In West Hollywood there are a number of vacant shops, including most of the commercial spaces in new apartment buildings in the city.
Nordstrom has gotten attention for its opening last fall on Melrose Avenue of Nordstrom Local, will has no dedicated inventory. Instead customers are served by “personal stylists” who whelp them choose the apparel they want and then order it online. Customers can pick up the merchandise at Nordstrom Local or have it delivered to their homes. The shop will even deliver merchandise to customers parked on the curb outside (meaning they won’t have to look for parking.)
The Nordstrom Local shop, the retailer’s first, contains 3,000 square feet, radically smaller than the typical 140,000 square foot Nordstrom store.
Allan Jeffries Framing has been in business 35 years and we do amazing work all done on the premises at prices consistently 20 to 30% below Aaron Brothers, plus the bonus is that you are supporting a family run business as opposed to a large corporate entity.
We also give a huge amount back to the community especially WeHo.
We would love to be given the opportunity to prove ourselves to former Aaron Brothers customers.
Aaron Brothers scores a great big “0” in the Human Rights Campaign’s Equality Index. Surely we can have local stores more in line with our values.
I’m not really surprised this is happening. Competing with yourself is a silly way to do business. The plus side, is that the Blick Art Materials on Beverly Blvd has good custom framing (and printing in house too) if shipping your art back and forth doesn’t appeal to you (I know I don’t fancy the idea).
I hate to see a local business go under, but I’ll admit that this place was just too expensive for me. I’ve had pictures and artwork framed over the years, at a fraction of the cost that they charge at Aaron Brothers. They do quality work, but I’ve been able to get the same quality work done elsewhere for much less.
This space took a very long time to rent when the structure was first built, so it’s disappointing to see it go vacant. Another retail causality. Perhaps the City should use this space for its own business. We’ve been told many times that City Hall is bursting at the seams. Perhaps putting some services in this space makes sense since it’s already City-owned. How about Building & Safety?
Not to mention that it is with 2 or 3 blocks of City Hall. Makes sense.
Thank you to the West Hollywood community for your overwhelming support. We are excited to continue to serve the community for many more years to come.
This is too bad. Another vacant storefront. Why does the City continue to allow all of these new developments to add more and more vacant commercial space at the bottom of their developments. It is clear that the City does not need any more. There are multiple vacant storefronts throughout the City and more being built on “speculation.” Many have been vacant for years now. It provides a “ghost town” feel to the area and more places for the homeless to congregate. If nothing else, the City should require the owners to put up decorative window coverings on these empty… Read more »
You’re so right, there are empty spaces everywhere (like across the street), but I feel like most apartment/condo buildings feel obligated to build some sort of retail space on their first floor in hopes of having the next hottest thing renting there.
I’ve always said that Weho needs a Michael’s (or other craft store). Their Halloween business could carry them the rest of the year.
I believe Councilmember Meister proposed your idea of decorative artwork in windows of vacant storefronts but there were concerns by property owners and realtors that covering the windows would make leasing the space more difficult…prolonging the time it sits vacant. I dont know what happened to the proposal or if something similar is being considered.
The new developments are because the Council owes “favors” to developers for campaign funds.
I personally believe that if a building or a lot sits empty for more than a year the City should take it under Eminent Domain and either use it to build something for Resident Services or sell it to the highest bidder with plans to build within a year. That includes buildings that already have permits to demolish and build. Things take too long in this City.
On no! Please don’t be another one that really thinks the City operates on a Quid-pro-quo basis.
That’s absurd, fear-mongering and simply not true. I am surprised that you must believe Eminent Domain is such a casual solution or conclusion to jump too. Hmm
So you want to create a world where the government can just take a persons property because it sits empty? Do yourself a favor and read up on eminent domain.
God help us if you get elected. So far all of the solutions that you write about on here, are half baked ideas that will ruin WEHO. Thank god there are laws to keep people like you and the Cheeto in check.
I find all of these armchair politicians that don’t have a clue laughable.
That’s too bad. The staff there were very helpful when I have had art framed there. They framed all my “Historic West Hollywood” series of pictures, they did a good job and were very pleasant and helpful at reasonable prices. Plus free parking for an hour. It’s hard to find all that in a store.
Not funny but hilarious to think that folks will be sending their artwork back and forth in the shipping lanes. Fortunately serious brick & mortar framers are enjoying business.
I agree.
Who has things framed online? That seems like an impossible task.