Store owners Carole Demkowski says rent has doubled and shopping habits have changed.
She noted two factors that pushed her to relocate her business.
“The fact that the rent went up was the deciding factor to close,” she said. “Once that decision was made, there was no turning back.”
Another reason for the move stems from a growing change in consumer shopping habits, particularly among younger demographics. She has noticed more people shopping and buying online in recent years, leading to less foot traffic for brick-and-mortar stores like hers. Younger generations—who may not have as much disposable income compared to their parents—are also prioritizing different spending needs.
The shop sat on the corner of Minnesota and Lincoln Avenues and officially closed its doors on July 31. After packing up and spending some time to regroup, Ms. Demkowski plans to start selling her antique items at a spot in a vintage store called Montebello Road located on Bascom Avenue in Campbell by the first weekend of September.
She said she will also explore other options for her business, including participating in antique shows and pop-up shops, to continue connecting with people in her community.
For Ms. Demkowski, her shop is more than just a business. From a young age, she had a liking for antiques and saw bringing vintage items back to life as a form of art.
One day while working in an antique shop in the San Francisco Bay Area, Ms. Demkowski spotted some sheet music from the 1940s titled “Three Little Sisters” by the Andrews Sisters, which sparked the inspiration for her store’s name. In 2008, she opened her shop, Three Sisters, to share her passion for antiques with collectors and admirers of vintage items in Silicon Valley.
“I just wait for that feeling, the idea to hit, and when I see something it just draws me in,” she said. “I can continue doing what I love, which is picking up merchandise that needs sometimes a little love and care and repairs to the wood, or reupholstering the fabric, or painting.”
Over the years, to appeal to more customers, she also began to sell items such as local honey produced by her husband and resident beekeeper, Steve Demkowski.
Three Sisters is among many businesses impacted by the rising cost of operating a business in California and changes to consumer habits.