A longtime staple in downtown Hollister will soon shut its doors and put up the closed sign permanently. After 23 years, She’s—a women’s clothing store on San Benito Street—will close up shop at the end of June.
Sheila Stevens, owner of She’s, said she and her husband, Bob, simply need a break from the store in order to get their health back on track.
“I have a condition in my leg (bursitis) and can’t be running around right now, even though I love working,” she said, adding that the cement floors of The Knife and Fork aggravated the condition. “I’m going to take six months off. I’ve had surgery and I’m in therapy now for my leg and it’s getting better. I haven’t had six months off probably since I was 15. I’ve been working since I was 15 and been in business for myself since I was 25.”
Though Sheila is shuttering She’s, she will continue her other successful business, The Heavenly Bakery.
“My husband and I had three businesses: The Knife and Fork Café, She’s and we have the bakery across the street,” Sheila said. “My husband became unable to help with the businesses, so we sold The Knife and Fork. Now I’m going to get rid of She’s, but I’ll stay with the bakery.”
Sheila said—after a break—she plans to open yet another shop in downtown Hollister: a consignment store.
“I’m not sure where we’ll open it yet, but there are enough empty buildings, I’ll find one,” she said. “I have that all planned out. We’ve had some consignments at She’s the past few months and just to see how consignments are, I think it’s the way to go.”
Sheila and Bob have opened several businesses around the area through the years, and she said they’ve “enjoyed each and every one of them.” But she said the current economy is probably the toughest she’s ever witnessed.
“As far as retail, this is the worst time I’ve seen,” Sheila said. “A lot of retail stores are gone, but I think they’ll come back. Everything comes back. It may have to be changed a little bit in what you do and what you sell, but it will come back.”
Sheila is also confident her longtime and loyal employee Carol Garcia—who has been working with Sheila since the beginning of She’s—will be back as well.
“She’s so dedicated,” Sheila said. “I couldn’t have done The Knife and Fork or the bakery if I didn’t have her. She’ll probably come and work for me again, but we all need a little break.”
In order to clear out stock, Sheila said all clothing and some of the consignment jewelry at She’s is 50 percent off until the shop permanently shuts its doors at the end of the month. After its closure, the local business owner will put her focus on the bakery and getting the consignment store off the ground.
“Heavenly Bakery is heavenly and its small enough I can work it,” she said. “I’m just going to do my therapy and rest a little bit. I’ve got a good team at the bakery. I’ve always been lucky that way.”