Painted Pony (and the easter bunny) ride into the sunset

Was it really Easter yesterday? It all came and went so fast. I didn't even buy any chocolate rabbits (although did make some easter cupcakes). On Saturday, working at our downtown shop, I kept looking across the street at Chocolat et Gateau to see if there was a moment I could dash across and buy some chocolates, but it was one busy little spot with all the chocolate lovers lined up to buy easter treats. For a visual chocolate trip, log on to Parisbreakfast.com for some great photos of Parisian easter windows. Scroll down to photos of fabulous chocolate eggs that only the French (or Belgians) can do. Quel excès!

Last week downtown the big gossipy news was about the newly stripped space where the Painted Pony had been, with a "We are Closed" sign slapped on the front door. Whoa. Apparently this was an overnight, pack it all in the U-Haul and drive away maneuver, but can't verify any details in a journalistically responsible manner. It's always sad and shocking to see a neighbor go out of business; especially shocking when they go out in the dark of night. I know the business had been for sale for awhile, and I think this was a newish owner who tried to make a go of it, but there had to be an extreme, last-ditch reason for disappearing. All this stuff is endlessly fascinating, at least to those of us who are always studying and pondering the weird and wonderful world of retail.

Why wouldn't they have staged a big sale and tried to recoup some of their investment? Why pack all the inventory, fixtures and systems into rental vans (must have been a huge effort) and drive to who knows where? Hmmm. With gas over $3 a gallon, and those U-Haul monsters getting about 6 mpg, it would cost them plenty to haul that stuff anywhere. Clothing racks are really heavy. Ditto display cases and shelving. Why would you schlep those off somewhere? Unless a whole lot of money was owed to previous owners/landlord/vendors... There could be another story here, one we'll never hear. I've no doubt that a new renter can be found for the space -- it's in a prime location (Wall St. is still the cat's meow, as those of us on side streets will tell you), and even though retail right now is umm, sluggish, someone will still see the opportunity and snap it up. So if it were me, I wouldn't have worried too much about being stuck with the lease. Maybe a little worry.

Of course, my first thought was, wow, wouldn't that make a great Pomegranate space? Or a third location where we could do a whole different offering? So many ideas. Such a glutton for punishment. It's not going to happen.

Speaking of stores going out, we're sad to see Tiger Lily closing shop. I know Mindy has some new ventures she wants to pursue, and a shop tends to consume your life. She added a nice twist to downtown shopping with Tiger Lily; unique, tasteful and lovely. I believe she's still there for a few days, clearing out the last bits.