She was Hollister’s Martha Stewart.
And just like Martha, had fallen on hard luck recently. On
Friday, Dorothy McNett announced she was closing shop after 14
years of business.
Hollister – She was Hollister’s Martha Stewart.
And just like Martha, had fallen on hard luck recently. On Friday, Dorothy McNett announced she was closing shop after 14 years of business.
Although she has taken a financial blow recently, McNett, also like the iconic Stewart, believes she will be just fine in the end despite her current economic woes.
McNett said that while the idea of closing her upscale kitchen store, Dorothy McNett’s Place, has been ongoing for some time, she didn’t officially decide until Thursday afternoon to close the doors.
And it’s a decision that some say is a serious blow to already-struggling downtown businesses.
“Broke. Ray Charles says it best – I’m busted,” McNett said. “We just don’t have the sales to sustain the business. There’s nothing left.”
She made the official announcement on her Web site Friday morning and began the heartbreaking task of informing all her loyal customers over the course of the day, she said.
“We’ve done a lot of hugging and crying,” she said. “Some people feel guilty for buying now, but I tell them, ‘Please don’t feel guilty, I need your money now.'”
McNett opened a modest kitchen store in the Rite Aid shopping center on Sunnyslope Road in 1991 after cooking classes she was teaching in her condo became so popular she decided to open her own business, she said.
The store, which sold quality, dependable cookware, was so successful that after three years she migrated to Sixth Street, where she stayed for seven years.
And if it wasn’t for the Internet she may have stayed a small but successful local business. But when she launched her business into cyberspace in the late 1990s things took off and she eventually moved into the behemoth of the store on San Benito Street. At one time she was managing her physical business along with her Web-based business, taught cooking classes out of the shop and starred in a locally-televised cooking show to boot.
Unfortunately timing was not on her side.
Right after moving into the huge store 9-11 hit, and an already depressed economy took a nose dive. Because she wasn’t solidified financially from her move, it seriously affected all aspects of her business, McNett said.
Several years after moving into the store, McNett downsized a couple times because she couldn’t handle the sheer size of the building. Then she finally decided to throw in the towel, she said.
But even now, she doesn’t regret making the move.
“If we only knew the future when we do things we would all be making better decisions. When we signed the lease it was the right thing to do. I didn’t know all the other stuff would happen,” McNett said. “I’m very proud of what we did, how the building turned out. We made this part of town much more attractive.”
But now that she’s leaving, the future for other downtown businesses – many that regularly struggle in Hollister’s challenging retail environment – is being questioned by some.
A garden-antique shop, The Old Flower Mill, located directly across the street from Dorothy McNett’s Place is also going out of business, said co-owner Jody Ayars. Ayars said some of her store’s hardships possibly were a direct result of McNett’s downsizing.
“We used to get a lot of business from Dorothy’s store when she had the full building. She would draw a lot of out-of-town customers,” Ayars said. “I’m sure if she would be doing better, we would be doing better. It’s a sign of downtown.”
San Benito County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Liz Sparling said she was very upset to hear of McNett’s decision Friday morning, and that because McNett was an “anchor” downtown her absence will have an unmistakable impact on other downtown business.
“After the downsizing I know business has been tough. But still when you hear it, it’s a hard thing to hear,” Sparling said. “I wish Dorothy the best and that she have further endeavors in Hollister.”
While McNett said she plans to stay in Hollister and hopes to continue working in the food and wine industry, getting back into retail is an endeavor she will never undertake again. Ever.
“I want to stay in the food business, but on somebody else’s dime, and I want to do a TV show promoting food and wine of the Central California Coast,” McNett said. “I can’t do it now, I have to get through this tunnel first. But I know my cheese and wines very well and it fits with today’s lifestyle. If somebody has a place for me, it would be great.”
McNett did not know Friday when her last day will be, but said she will be keeping her customers informed. She also emphasized that the take-out store, Running Rooster, that co-occupied the building with McNett will continue running its business out of the building.
And as far as her downtown neighbors’ futures are concerned without her in the picture, she said she doesn’t “want to go there” right now.
“I don’t want to hurt anybody,” she said. “Maybe it will be a positive, maybe I can be an example. I’m a positive person – next week it’s going to be better.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or
em*******@fr***********.com
