After nearly 20 years in operation, Honeymoon Bungalow on Mid City’s Government Street is set to close Sept. 24.
A post alerting customers to Honeymoon Bungalow’s closure appeared on Facebook earlier today. Several reasons were offered for why the store, which sells vintage furniture and other items, is going out of business.
Owner Marsha Rish says the store’s impending closure is a cautionary tale for communities to financially support small businesses.
“If you have a small business that you love then you damn well better support it,” Rish says. “You better go see that place once a month and spend money—even if it’s $10.”
Sales have dropped 70% in the last five years, the Facebook post explains. It’s also harder to locate affordable vintage items to resale at a reasonable price.
And the rent at 3153 Government St., where the vintage store is located, is increasing four times what Rish currently pays.
Rish says she has been paying a 1950 rental rate for the past 18 years. She recently learned the current owners intend to increase the rent to 2016 rates.
Rish says she feels blessed to have had a landlord who charged low rent for so many years. Her former landlord died in December, leaving the buildings to relatives who’ve hired a property management company.
“They have to face the harsh reality that there’s no money to maintain these buildings. They have to generate money to do that,” Rish says, adding that she doesn’t begrudge the new landlords.
She says she would happily pay more rent but the niche business simply hasn’t been profitable.
“We are already struggling to pay this dirty cheap rent,” she says.
There are no plans to relocate the Honeymoon Bungalow. Rish and her husband, Roger Poplin, are seeking to relocate a lamp and furniture restoration service operating inside Honeymoon Bungalow to an existing business where space can be rented.
Rish is reluctant to discuss the rent figures, though she admits to paying less than what some pay for a one-bedroom apartment.
Rish says she and her husband discussed going out of the business three years ago but held off on doing so. “I literally pay my bills today on what I’ve sold yesterday,” she says.
Rish says she’s grateful to the customers she has had. Instead of pinpointing one reason for the low sales, Rish attributes them to several factors such as the store’s niche business model and its inability to afford advertising. Customers also weren’t pressured to buy items when they entered.
“I really don’t know what the problem is. I just know for the bungalow our time is over,” Rish says.
—Alexandria Burris
