Countless families have shopped here since 1995. Little girls who became mothers brought their own children here to shop.
Sadly, the days are numbered at Cory’s Closet Children’s Resale in La Mesa. It’s the latest victim of the pandemic.
“It was a very, very, very tough decision, but after such a tough year it was a decision that had to be made,” said owner Jodi Valdez who started working at Cory’s Closet when her mother opened it 25 years ago.
Valdez said they sell new and slightly used children’s clothes, toys, and gear like strollers, chairs, and cribs.
She’s closing the doors for good Saturday at 4 p.m.
“It felt like I was giving up on one of my children,” she said.
Valdez said she applied for all the help she could find, but the national, state and local loans didn’t help her small business.
“We were missed. Small businesses were missed. We definitely did not have enough relief to help us,” she sighed. “We needed rent relief. We needed more opportunities that were not just loans to help us get through.”
Valdez said she struggled to pay rent during the first few months of the pandemic. Then customers didn’t return at the rate she was accustomed to before the pandemic.
“It’s not where I thought life would go,” she said through a forced smile. “It’s just one more thing this year where you’re wondering, ‘What the heck is happening?’”
Despite closing her own doors, Valdez pleaded with people to continue to support other small businesses.
“If you’re trying to grab something, you’re better off running into a small business because that really could make a world of difference to them,” she explained. “Even once COVID’s over, please do not forget about your small businesses.”
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Valdez said she’ll likely shed a tear Saturday at 4 p.m. However, she said she hoped to one day reopen Cory’s Closet in a place where the rent isn’t so high.
