Two mall jewelers selling no more

By MARIJKE ROWLAND
mrowland@modbee.com

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A diamond may be forever, but a diamond-seller, well, that's another story.

Two jewelry stores in Vintage Faire Mall have closed their cases for good. Whitehall Jewelers and Crescent Jewelers, both owned by Whitehall Jewelers Holdings Inc., shut their doors Saturday.

Both stores had been in liquidation stemming from bankruptcy filings in the spring and summer. They are near Gottshalks, with one store atop the other. Crescent (lower floor) has been in the mall since 1995, and Whitehall (upper floor) opened in 1997.

Vintage Faire Mall senior property manager Maria Halstead said the two retailers' closings were expected and both have been selling off their inventories for the past several months.

"They filed for bankruptcy protection a long time ago," Halstead said. "The economy and sales and holidays makes people automatically assume that is what is going on here. But this is what happens sometimes during this process."

Vintage Faire is still home to six other national and regional jewelry retailers: Kay Jewelers, Zales, Rogers Jewelers, DeVons Fine Jewelers, Fred Meyer Jewelers and Samuels Jewelers.

Halstead said the mall is looking for other retailers to fill the spaces. She said the jewelers had desirable corner locations in the center of the complex.

In November, the mall expanded to add The Village at Vintage Faire, a high-end outdoor extension that includes Coldwater Creek, Coach and Bebe outlets. In the spring, a Sephora store will open in The Village.

"We are always working hard to maintain the right mix," Halstead said. "We are taking every opportunity to make sure the retailers we put into these spaces match up with our strategic plan."

Elsewhere around the Business Beat:

You won't be able to ask how much that doggy in the window is at Modesto's Pet Barn anymore.

The pet store and seller closed its door Christmas Eve. Opened five years ago in the SaveMart shopping center at 801 Oakdale Road, Pet Barn was the second location for the locally owned retailer.

Owners Terry and Debbie Finnegan plan to keep open the original Manteca Pet Barn, 289 W. Louise Ave.

A handwritten sign on the Modesto Pet Barn door thanked its customers and blamed the worsening economy for its closure. The Finnegans could not be reached for comment.

Pet Barn sold puppies and other small pets as well as animal food, supplies and accessories.

For more information, call the Manteca Pet Barn at 825-8555 or visit petbarnonline.com ...

And finally, Modesto's second Tasty Taco is open. The Mexican eatery announced plans to expand in the fall. Friday, the restaurant opened its larger, east Modesto spot in the site of the former Jimboy's Tacos, 1800 Oakdale Road.

Husband-and-wife owners Alfredo and Elisabeth Duran took over the space, which features a drive-through window and more than twice as much indoor seating as its downtown location.

The new Tasty Taco will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. The downtown restaurant, at 1325 J St., will cut back to lunch hours, weekdays only.

For more information, call Tasty Taco at 577-8226 (downtown) or 551-1960 (Oakdale Road).

Have an item for Business Beat? Contact Marijke Rowland at The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto 95352; 578-2284 or mrowland@modbee.com.