Jungle Vibes Closing, Greenbriar Apartments Sold and More Business News
Down to Business is a weekly column that focuses on what's new with local companies. Got a tip? Send it to reporter Kevin King, email below or to Patch editor Karina Ioffee at karina@patch.com
Jungle Vibes, a much-loved toy store that has been part of downtown Petaluma for 18 years is closing next month, another victim of a stagnant economy.
The store has been steadily losing money for seven years, said Wayne Morgenthaler, who owns the toy and gift store with partner Connie Madden and Will Mendoza.
“Everyone loves it and everyone wants it, but we’ve essentially been running this as a nonprofit for several years now,” Morgenthaler said, saying that there has been no growth in sales for close to a decade.
“There isn’t any doubt that online sales have impacted us," he said. "But the bigger issue is that we’ve seen an unprecedented economic collapse in people’s personal wealth. Suddenly, my customers have 30 percent less wealth than they did four years ago.”
Two years ago Jungle Vibes expanded and took on a new owner, Will Mendoza, who owns Lala’s Creamery next door. But the collaboration was not enough to fight off tepid sales, including people who came in, compared prices with smart phones and went somewhere else to purchase them.
“It’s been a wonderful project,” said Morgenthaler, who hosted many events at the store such as hula parties, kids' open mic and family days. “I’ve enjoyed talking to people, wrapping their presents and I’m going to miss that.”
The store’s last day will be February 12 and everything is at least 25 percent off. Costumes are 30 percent off, train sets 40 percent off and kites 50 percent off.
--
Greenbriar Apartments will be bought by Capital Valley Investments (CVI) after months of legal, bankruptcy and foreclosure proceedings on the property and on former owner Bijan Madjlessi.
After months of negotiations, CVI finally gets the apartment complex it considers to be a great acquisition, according to Jim Roberts, vice president of acquisitions at CVI.
“The plan is to reassemble this project as an apartment complex,” said Roberts.
Buying the property proved to be a challenging task since the property had previously been divided into 28 parcels, one for each building. After Madjlessi defaulted on payments, U.S. Bank and WestAmerica Bank took over the apartment builds, while Land Holdings held the common areas of the apartment complex. Madjlessi is now being accused of insurance fraud in Nevada.
The next step for Greenbriar will be construction, as previous tenants claimed many units were uninhabitable, which Petaluma Patch has reported on. CVI will use its own subcontractors to restore the property, with the hope to have it completed by next January.
“We’re going to get this thing restored, and we’re going to beautify it,” said Roberts. “It’s not going to be a black eye on the community anymore.”
CVI owns 31 properties in California and two in Washington, with a total of about 6,500 units. CVI will tap Riverstone Property Management to run the property.
---
Terminix moved to Petaluma from its offices in Santa Rosa this past winter, bringing its 35 employees with it.
The new North Bay location will be at 1610 Corporate Circle, near Shollenberger Park. Terminix will add three positions with the move to Petaluma, two full-time sales position and one part-time administrative position.
According to a release, the move will allow Terminix to be more centrally located in the North Bay that can help it expand geographically.
----
Agency Service Bureau (ASB), a personal and commercial insurance lines provider, bought space at 737 Southpoint Blvd, Suite F, as it expands its company.
“We’re moving to a bigger office,” said co-owner Tiffany Bell.
ASB will consider adding positions at the new location. While it bought space, ASB will keep ownership on its current office space at 696 Petaluma Blvd. North, said Bell. The plan is to lease that space to a new tenant.
Joan Cooper
4:58 pm on Friday, January 13, 2012
Jungle Vibes has been a wonderful cultural resource for the whole family - thank you for your years of service to our children and being a bright star on our downtown business streets. We will miss you!
Stinky
10:13 pm on Friday, January 13, 2012
What!? Hobbytown and KMart are NOT the only places to buy toys in Petaluma. There's a wonderful selection of toys at Heebe Jeebe. Which is the first place I go to shop for gifts, toys, and costumes. It's a wonderful, locally-owned store which needs our business.
Karina Ioffee
8:10 am on Saturday, January 14, 2012
Thanks for pointing that out. I have made the change to reflect this.
Bob C
8:40 am on Saturday, January 14, 2012
All you have to change, Karina, is "in DOWNTOWN Petaluma." Sad to see the store go -- they also had a great collection of Petaluma t-shirts. Tuscan Garden and Rex Hardware have some but hardly as nice as Moreda's did.
Frank Simpson
6:53 am on Saturday, January 14, 2012
I suspect that in most instances if the "smart" phone users calculated the cost of driving "somewhere else" they would realize that they were not getting the item cheaper. Now that would be smart.
" But the collaboration was not enough to fight off tepid sales, including people who came in, compared prices with smart phones and went somewhere else to purchase them."
Sharon Morgan
7:51 am on Saturday, January 14, 2012
Thank you, Wayne and staff. We have always enjoyed your store. More than once I have gone to downtown specifically make a purchase at YOUR store or other Petaluma business vs somewhere else. But this economic climate is difficult for many of us. I wish you the best.
Seana Gause
8:29 am on Saturday, January 14, 2012
I am devastated by this news. We always buy our birthday gifts at Jungle Vibes. We will miss Wayne and all his community building events and commitment to the neighborhood.
Christopher Fisher
9:23 am on Saturday, January 14, 2012
The girls and I were crushed too, Seana. I figure we're indebted to Wayne and Connie and the rest of the crew for allowing us to cruise around on all the little vehicles they leave around for test drives all these years, the ones that are now accumulating in our driveway. The Vibe and all its events really made us feel at home in Petaluma! The girls always picked up birthday presents there, and where else but JV could you also pick up a Buddhist token and Noam Chomsky's latest book too?!
Janelle Amer
11:37 am on Saturday, January 14, 2012
HeebeJeebe is not the only independent store in town to sell toys. Kidz Swap Store on the Blvd. north sells new and gently used toys. sorry to hear about the closing, another small business down the drain-wake up citizens and help s; support your town!
Jack Miller
4:08 pm on Saturday, January 14, 2012
We were so sorry to hear that Jungle Vibes will be closing. Wayne's wonderful and delightfully eclectic store was a real gathering place for young and old alike to shop for gifts and generally have a great time browsing. Thank you Wayne & Staff for years of great community service as you ran the store. We sincerely hope that the community continues to support other unique downtown stores like Heebe Jeebe and Kidz Swap. The former being not only a place to buy neat gifts for children and grown ups, but also is home to one of the most interesting albeit tiny art galleries in town.
bruce mallon
8:46 am on Sunday, January 15, 2012
Another retail death. Wait til Target &Loes kill off a few more. Hello Brisbane North Many thanks to our city officials for these transgressions on retail diversity.
Nick Hoffman
4:20 pm on Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Very sad day indeed. This is a special part of Petaluma that's leaving. You always knew you were in Petaluma when you were in Jungle Vibes, when you are in Target you could be in anytown USA.
Ralph Hutchinson
8:42 am on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Perhaps now CVI can refurbish the delapodated apartments with raw sewage, power lines downed, and broken glass, for unfortunate under-documented Latino residents who were afraid to speak for themselves.