Smith Beautiful Living store closes : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis

GREENSBORO — Many longtime Greensboro residents are probably familiar with the Smith store name.

The home furnishings store has been around since the 1950s.

But not anymore.

Ruth and David Messmer, owners of Smith Beautiful Living, said they were unable to negotiate a lease agreement with the landlord and decided to close the store at the Village at North Elm shopping center.

"Today, the shocking and heartbreaking news is that Smith is effectively closed," according to a message the Messmers posted Monday on the store's website. "The closing still seems unreal, with a store full of beautiful merchandise, so many steadfast customers, and the all-important Christmas season on its way."

The Messmers bought the store in 2001. At the time, it was called Smith Furntiure and Gifts and had two locations: one near the Golden Gate Shopping Center and another at Friendly Center.

They kept the Smith name, added "Beautiful Living" and eventually merged both stores into its current location about five years ago. The store sold items such as pictures, mirrors, lamps, furniture and holiday decor.

"Smith is very personal to us, a place of sharing and community, not just selling things, so this ending hurts even more," their message reads.

Contact Mike Fuchs at 484-1175 or michael.fuchs@news-record.com

Rolling

November 1, 2011 - 7:48 am EDT

Its a tenant market, apparently this landlord didn't get the news.

laughing

November 1, 2011 - 8:33 am EDT

Please explain. You must have personal knowledge of the situation to make such a stab at the landlord. Without knowing any of the facts it would seems awfully short sided to make a statement insinuating the landlord was somehow at fault. Let's not forget that this economy is not very conducive to buying high end gifts and furniture.

mule4ever

Good grief. Rolling, do you have any idea what the two sides were even negotiating? Do you honestly think the landlord didn't want to keep them? Is it remotely possible, like I have personally seen many times in this market, that the tenant is asking the landlord to subsidize their business? Does the landlord have a mortgage to pay?

luvdowntowngso

November 1, 2011 - 11:41 am EDT

I don't have inside info, but I'm sure this is a case of the landlord charging insane rates for rent. This is also the reason businesses can't make it downtown. Greedy landloards hurt all of us, especially the businesses they rent to. They figure since times are so bad, they will just screw the renters to get their money.

Kaycee

November 1, 2011 - 8:58 am EDT

The North Elm Village tenants are dropping like flies, so Koury probably tried to keep Smith BL. That shopping center has become the Carolina Circle of our time. It would have been nice if the reporter had provided more information, or at least a comment from Koury. I noticed that Smith didn't open its Christmas store at Friendly Center like it did last year. Perhaps no one needs overpriced trinkets in our depressed economy?

Bosco

November 1, 2011 - 9:50 am EDT

They're dropping like flys everywhere. Tough for a store like this in a "good" market. Long hours, low volume and huge overhead. You look at the bottom line at the end of the tear and ask, "is this worth it".

ZipCanoe

November 1, 2011 - 10:21 am EDT

Koury has a terrible reputation as a landlord and property management company. Every business owner I know who has leased from them has had a negative experience.

Smith is a great company and I hope they reboot in a better location with a more supportive landlord.

November 1, 2011 - 10:34 am EDT

Please explain. Here we have more baseless and venomous rhetoric coming from the peanut gallery. You speak in generalities with an apparent lack of knowledge of commercial real estate. Anyone can throw jabs at a company that keeps more than 700 people employed and pays more taxes than any other company in the city. Especially when they hide behind their message board name. Yea, sounds like a real loser of a company. Greensboro is lucky to have Koury. I hate to think where we would be or where we would have gone with out Joe Koury's faith in Greensboro.

This is a sad story. Why does it have to be someone else's fault all the time. I don't even think the article said anything other than they could not work out a lease with the Landlord.

I have a question for you ZipCanoe. Did those business owners you know pay their rent?

November 1, 2011 - 12:51 pm EDT

Laughing- Ask Java K's Coffee Shop on Lawndale (former Koury tenant) if they had a good experience. Ask the folks at Off N' Running Sports (Scott B- the owner and former Koury tenant). Do you remember Emac and Bolio's Ice Cream (former Village at North Elm tenant). Koury promised to put a sign up on Pisgah Church for the smaller tenants to be seen from the road. They went out of business because nobody knew they were in that ill-fated property.

I don't know any former or current Koury tenants who have a positive thing to say about this company. Do you work for this company?

jopr

November 1, 2011 - 2:21 pm EDT

Sounds like Laughing works for Koury. Didn't know Joe Koury, but I can tell you from experience that the company has gone downhill since his kids took over and moved away. Another case of negligent management.

November 1, 2011 - 10:26 am EDT

Again, like when the Conference Store closed, it is so quick to blame the economy. But, SBL was only open 10 - 6pm during the week. Was SBL catering to people who worked? Doesn't seem like it. I will give them credit for being open on Sunday (unlike anything else in that shopping center), but the limited hours will kill you. Working retail means being open at times when the customer can get there. Customers expect it today. Also don't think that their move from Friendly really worked out either...

GSOPat

November 1, 2011 - 11:46 am EDT

If you liked Smith's try out Total Bliss in Summerfield. The store is a lot smaller but they have some beautiful things and they are not as expensive as Smith's.

avondale

November 1, 2011 - 4:21 pm EDT

Exactly. As I read this I was thinking "there's a store right up the road on 220 N called Total Bliss." They are VERY similar to Smith BL in the merchandise they carry, but much more reasonably priced. I have really enjoyed shopping and browsing there.

newtogso

November 1, 2011 - 11:52 am EDT

This is not a story, it is a regurgigated press release. I'm sure there is more to it. The Village was a hopeful project in a blissful economic time that landed with a thud. It will struggle for a long time to stay full and will likely require some creativity on Koury's part. Suffice it to say that if it wasn't such a large CRE owner such as Koury which can probably subsidize this development with his other ownings, the Village would be tanking even worse. It would be great if Smith could relocate somewhere else in the City with an agreement that is favorable to them.

Greensborough

November 1, 2011 - 3:59 pm EDT

My thoughts are with the owners and their employees over the loss of their business. I hope they can develop a new business plan that will work in this depressed economy.

The Internet has created winners - and losers. Hopefully this won't be the end of Smith's. My heart goes out to all the employees; I hope they land on their feet.

sanders

November 2, 2011 - 5:17 am EDT

landlords dont keep up many of the shopping centers and charge very high rent so stores just run from 1 center to another.alot of greed out there.

news-record.com

NEWS