Cold Stone Creamery in downtown SLO expected to close its doors

Posted: Mar 14, 2013 6:36 PM by Connie Tran, KSBY News
Updated: Mar 15, 2013 11:04 AM

Cold Stone Creamery to close in downtown SLO

Another downtown San Luis Obispo business plans to shut its doors, and this time, it's not a mom-and-pop shop, but a franchise. Cold Stone Creamery will soon close, but it is unknown exactly when. KSBY attempted to speak to the manager or an owner on Thursday, but no one was available.

"Being a business can be tough," said Deborah Cash, executive director for the San Luis Obispo Downtown Association.

Within the last three months, recent closures in downtown SLO have included Mondeo Pronto, Jim's Campus Camera, and Coalition plans on closing its doors this Sunday. Cash does not believe the closures have a common link, and said she did not have further information as to why Cold Stone was closing.

"We have had a number of businesses close recently, so that might look like a trend or look like something's going on, but it's just kinda a confluence, I think, of these things happening, and not necessarily a trend or that business is bad or that downtown is closing. That's certainly not happening," said Cash.

Cash said with the number of stores closing downtown, there are just as many new businesses popping up. For example, Eatz by Dezign, The Radlife, SLO Pop, and Firefly Pizzeria, which opened up at the end of November 2012.

Ciio Donofrio, an employee at Firefly Pizzeria, said, "You pay what you get, you know, and downtown, you know if you know what you're doing, I don't think it's too much. You know, if you like the foot traffic, you know, you probably need to pay a little extra."

A local commercial real estate company told KSBY that rent in a space like Cold Stone Creamery's could range between $5,000-$8,000 a month.

Cash said, "whenever we lose a business, it is a loss, and we all feel it."

Cash continued to say that downtown is still the second highest sales tax district in San Luis Obispo, and sales remain strong in downtown.

Cold Stone Creamery is based out of Tempe, Arizona. The first one opened in 1988.