After 30 years, Hermosa Beach Hallmark store will give its final greeting
Store owner Jai Shim is closing the doors at the Hallmark she has tended in Plaza Hermosa for nearly 30 years. Photo After nearly 30 years in the greeting card business, Jai Shim has mastered the lingo. The Hermosa Beach business owner peppers her speech with short, aphoristic bits of wisdom and emotion. But this week, even Jai was at a loss for words. This week marks the end of business for the Hallmark store located near the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Pier Avenue. On Monday afternoon, all the cards were gone,with only a few trinkets remaining near the cash register. On Friday, a couple from Pasadena came and bought most of the store’s vintage merchandise, 70 or 80 boxes worth. Jai smiled but choked up with tears as she explained how much the people who had passed through the shop had meant to her. “They are more than customers,” Jai said. “They are in my life, and I am in theirs.” The store is closing, Jai said due to a confluence of factors: her lease is expiring, rent is due to rise, and like all retailers she is feeling increased competition from the Internet. The store has three additional employees, plus Jai’s daughter, who works part-time at the store. At…
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