Pecan Jacks will close its Stony Point confection shop on July 17. File photo – June 2014.
Citing declining foot traffic, a husband-and-wife team are packing up their confectionery at a Southside shopping mall that’s undergoing large-scale renovations.
Pecan Jacks is closing its store at Stony Point Fashion Park on July 17. Owners Ronnie and Tim Wyatt opened the 1,700-square-foot store in 2011 to produce and sell Pecan Jacks pralines, pecan brittle and other sweets.
That was followed last year by a second storefront in the Omni Hotel at 100 S. 12th St. in Shockoe Slip.
Ronnie Wyatt said sales have dropped at their Stony Point location over the last year, prompting them to not renew their lease at the 13-year-old mall.
Tim and Ronnie Wyatt. Archived photo – June 2014 – by Michael Thompson.
“We’ve seen our regulars come less often, as they see Stony Point as having less stores,” she said.
Stony Point recently lost another tenant when Yves Delorme made a move to River Road. But some retailers are doubling down on the Southside mall: a dog treat bakery opened at Stony Point last month, and a furniture store is expanding at the mall.
Ronnie Wyatt said Pecan Jacks hasn’t seen enough activity to warrant staying at Stony Point. She said the company did a traffic count at its two stores a few weeks ago, on a Thursday.
“We saw seven customers at Stony Point, and downtown we saw 43,” she said. “Everything else is up, and Stony Point has been down in the last 12 months.”
To retain its Southside customers, Pecan Jacks plans weekend sales at its downtown location and reduced local shipping costs for online sales. The company also is considering opening a location in a tourist area in Florida.
“It’s a positive,” Wyatt said of the Stony Point closing. “We’re a strong company.”
Stony Point is in the process of a $50 million upgrade, after Chicago-based Starwood Retail Partners bought the mall in November.
In an email, Stony Point spokesperson Karen Smith said renovations are underway on the east side of the mall and will continue through the fall. Work on the mall’s western half is scheduled to begin next year.
Smith said the mall was aware of Pecan Jacks’ decision to leave. She said the mall has more than 55 stores. A recent BizSense count tallied 12 empty storefronts at the 660,000-square-foot shopping center.
Pecan Jacks will close its Stony Point confection shop on July 17. File photo – June 2014.
Citing declining foot traffic, a husband-and-wife team are packing up their confectionery at a Southside shopping mall that’s undergoing large-scale renovations.
Pecan Jacks is closing its store at Stony Point Fashion Park on July 17. Owners Ronnie and Tim Wyatt opened the 1,700-square-foot store in 2011 to produce and sell Pecan Jacks pralines, pecan brittle and other sweets.
That was followed last year by a second storefront in the Omni Hotel at 100 S. 12th St. in Shockoe Slip.
Ronnie Wyatt said sales have dropped at their Stony Point location over the last year, prompting them to not renew their lease at the 13-year-old mall.
Tim and Ronnie Wyatt. Archived photo – June 2014 – by Michael Thompson.
“We’ve seen our regulars come less often, as they see Stony Point as having less stores,” she said.
Stony Point recently lost another tenant when Yves Delorme made a move to River Road. But some retailers are doubling down on the Southside mall: a dog treat bakery opened at Stony Point last month, and a furniture store is expanding at the mall.
Ronnie Wyatt said Pecan Jacks hasn’t seen enough activity to warrant staying at Stony Point. She said the company did a traffic count at its two stores a few weeks ago, on a Thursday.
“We saw seven customers at Stony Point, and downtown we saw 43,” she said. “Everything else is up, and Stony Point has been down in the last 12 months.”
To retain its Southside customers, Pecan Jacks plans weekend sales at its downtown location and reduced local shipping costs for online sales. The company also is considering opening a location in a tourist area in Florida.
“It’s a positive,” Wyatt said of the Stony Point closing. “We’re a strong company.”
Stony Point is in the process of a $50 million upgrade, after Chicago-based Starwood Retail Partners bought the mall in November.
In an email, Stony Point spokesperson Karen Smith said renovations are underway on the east side of the mall and will continue through the fall. Work on the mall’s western half is scheduled to begin next year.
Smith said the mall was aware of Pecan Jacks’ decision to leave. She said the mall has more than 55 stores. A recent BizSense count tallied 12 empty storefronts at the 660,000-square-foot shopping center.
I am SO going to miss Pecan Jacks. We stop there every time we go to the mall.