Southern California retailers withstand fires
Some business lost, but few stores reported evacuated
Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, October 29, 2007
SAN DIEGO — The message Ann Navarra left on her office voice mail last week reflected of the kind of help she’s seeing all around her in the wake of devastating California fires: It was efficient, informative and caring.
Navarra, vice president of the five-store Jerome’s here, said the two locations that had closed as a result of evacuations — in San Marcos and Scripps Ranch, Calif. — would open with skeleton crews, but that employees couldn’t get back to the distribution center and corporate offices just yet.
“I hope you’re well. I hope your safe,” she said. “If you have any questions, please call me at my home number.”
Southern California wildfires caused the evacuation of more than 500,000 people, charred some 750 square miles and burned 1,500 homes, according to new reports last week. Furniture retailers, like everyone here, were scrambling with little time to think about lost business or the possible boom that could follow in months and years to come as people rebuild.
“The smoke has obliterated the sky and the sun is a bright red orb. It depresses people,” said Larry Miller, president of 20-store Southern California retailer Sit ‘n Sleep. “It was kind of gut-wrenching and worrisome.”
Miller said none of the company’s stores were burned in the fires, but business was interrupted. The company’s Laguna Hills store was within about a half-mile of the fires; the Santa Clarita store was less than a half-mile away; both the Murrieta and Upland stores were a few miles from the fires.
“The real estate market depressed business significantly in home furnishings and this will be another depressing factor for a time. Eventually they will rebuild and become consumers, but it’s probably a year or a year-and-a-half before it gets done. It’s going to be a long tough road back for these people,” Miller said.
Jerome’s Navarra said her company was battening down its 400,000-square-foot distribution center and headquarters in the Rancho Bernardo industrial area a few hours before it got the official call to evacuate. There was no damage to Jerome’s that Navarra knew of, though business has suffered and the air quality in San Diego has been poor, she said.
Still, the first thing Navarra and some others commented on was how prepared the state and federal governments, police, firefighters, community services and citizens were for this disaster.
“I have to just applaud the city of San Diego and how they a handled this,” she said. “For a tragic situation everybody made the best of it.”
Lyle Ecoff, vice president of Carls Patio West, said the company’s Saddleback of San Diego store closed early Monday because he wasn’t sure whether the fires were heading the store’s way.
“But Tuesday was kind of a normal day,” he said. That means slow, which is usual for this time of year, when the retailer is transitioning from outdoor to more fireside and other seasonal goods. Its Berks patio store in Santa Monica and another opening soon in Agoura Hills, Calif., were unaffected.
Still, said Ecoff, “When you evacuate half a million people, and your city is burning, obviously there is some impact on your business.” He had to evacuate his own family for a day last week, and had one employee who feared that his house may have burned down.
For Levitz Furniture, with more than 20 Southern California stores, only one in Santa Clarita was affected. The fires were about two miles from the store, which Levitz closed for four hours.
“Only a few deliveries were affected and we rescheduled others to later in the week,” said Mark Scott, senior vice president of stores. “In general, we have not had much disruption to our business.”
Those contacted were hesitant to put an estimate on the cost to their business in lost sales, or what could come down the road as consumers rebuild.
“Contractors will be busy,” said Navarra. “People will find other areas that are not as remote.… Lives will change.”
Ecoff isn’t so sure furniture retailers will benefit down the road. He grew up in Florida and said recent hurricanes there haven’t led to a furniture buying boom like the one that followed Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
“It’s a big question mark,” he said. “I’m not doing anything to plan for larger volume. If it happens, great. If not, I’m ready to do normal business.”
Staff Writer Heath E. Combs contributed to this story
Talkback
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How many fires were there and how many families have been displaced or evacuated?
- 2007-10-29 13:52:33
