Geneva’s Merra-Lee Shops closing
The Merra-Lee Shops, a longtime downtown Geneva shopping institution, are closing.
Owner Mike Simon announced the closing on the women’s apparel shops’ website and Facebook page late Friday morning, saying the shops on the southeast corner of State and Third streets no longer are profitable.
“My father Sol, who was a founding partner when the original Merra-Lee Shop opened 82 years ago, taught me to face facts and look to the future,” Simon wrote. “As landlord as well as merchant, I realize the Merra-Lee Shops need to close.”
The 12,000 square feet of shops include Merra-Lee, The Meeting Place, Boutique 15, The East Room and She She. They were closed Friday and will remain closed through Tuesday to prepare for a going-out-of-business sale Wednesday.#147;I think if it weren#146;t for the fact that downtown Geneva is so vibrant,#148; the stores would have closed sooner, Simon said in an interview. #147;Eighty-two years is a great life-cycle.#148;Simon had remodeled the anchor store, Merra-Lee, this spring. Business was going well until September, he said. Overall, the shops#146; uncertain economics got to him. #147;It was just too much of a roller-coaster,#148; he said. #147;He (Sol) probably would have closed it a while ago,#148; Simon said.Sol Simon started the store in 1929 with Rose Becker Kozberg. In 1957, Simon married Sylvia Greenberg, a buyer and manager for Peck and Peck in New York City. She helped run the shops, which also were known as the Fashion Walk.Simon said both the nation#146;s economic doldrums and a change in women#146;s shopping habits contributed to the closure. Years ago, he said, women would come in to the stores every season to change their wardrobe, as hemlines and styles changed. Now, women are wearing more seasonless clothing, and from a greater variety of stores, Simon said. Simon also owns the 36-room The Little Traveler store on South Third, and wants to assure its fans that it is in fine shape.#147;The (Little) Traveler is really a destination. It is an entertainment venue,#148; he said of the maze of themed rooms. It is known for having seminars by fashion and home goods experts, and its restaurant.#147;The Traveler has a future because it makes people feel good,#148; he said.Simon said he would redevelop the properties.