Margulis Jewelers opened in 1932, just down the road from their current location in Pioneer Square during the height of the depression.
Owner David Margulis said he’s now closing sooner than planned, offering customers a “going out of business” sale until June.
“I wanted to work until I was 75, I’m 70 now. However, downtown the last two years, March 2020 to now, has been a ghost town,” Margulis said.
Another business owner tells KATU she’s leaving Old Town when her lease ends and originally wanted to come to Pioneer Square.
After visiting a friend who works in that area, the owner of Mimi’s Fresh Tees is reconsidering that plan.”It was kind of the same thing. There wasn’t a lot of foot traffic, it was just kind of a dead zone and I do worry that a lot of businesses she’s reconsidering leaving downtown and Pioneer Place too. So, we’ll see what happens but we have to do what’s best for our business,” Kamelah Adams said.
Adams said the biggest challenge in places like Old Town is safety.
For Margulis, the decision to close doors altogether was not an easy one.
“It was very emotional and I was very sad. I had to make an objective business decision but it was very, very hard for me because I love our clients, I like our business. I like all aspects of this,” he said.
Margulis said over the last two years the biggest hurdles were public perception of downtown and the lack of people working in the area.
