header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
March 18
1919 - Fire destroys abandoned second Southern Hotel, built 1878 in Newhall (corner Main & Market) [story]
Second Southern Hotel


| Tuesday, Mar 26, 2019
Cobblestone Cottage
Cobblestone Cottage owner Kathy Allie, center, and daughter Jamee Brandt, right, reminisce Monday with longtime customer Rachael Durley after announcing over the weekend that the store is closing. Brennon Dixson/The Signal

 

Years before the Westfield Valencia Town Center would be developed across the street, a 900-square-foot boutique made its debut and began a journey that would see more than three decades of change.

But the owners of Cobblestone Cottage, located in the River Oaks Shopping Center on Magic Mountain Parkway, have announced the time has come to retire the more than 30-year-old business.

“Today (Monday), we’re turning 32 years old,” said store owner Kathy Allie. “But we will be closing this summer. We’ve had a great run.”

On Sunday, she and her daughter Jamee Brandt took to social media to make the announcement and share three reasons why they have decided to soon shut down the store.

“It’s been really hard to compete with the internet,” said Brandt in a Facebook video. “We’ve been wanting to shrink the footprint of our store and the landlord wanted us to take it all or nothing and we couldn’t handle that overhead anymore.”

Allie said the third reason was that she would like to retire.

One of the most challenging aspects, the owner said, is that “it’s no secret that brick-and-mortar stores are closing all around our nation. It’s very hard to compete with someone who can sit on the sofa at night and order online. We also have a lot of big box stores around us.”

In a letter to Cobblestone Cottage employees, a team of about 18, Allie said she is proud of the business for “(bouncing) back from the 1994 earthquake, (weathering) the death of the collectibles market, (overcoming) the 2008 housing crash and (changing) with the trends.”

“I just want our closing to be a positive experience and one we can truly celebrate,” she added.

Cobblestone Cottage came to life after a trip to England. Allie, who is a longtime homemaker, said she fell in love with the European cottage lifestyle, and knew she wanted a “charming little store here.”

Since its start in 1987, the store that began as a 900-square-foot boutique quickly grew into its current size of about three storefronts wide.

On Monday, several dozen customers stopped by throughout the day to shop and show their support after hearing the announcement. One customer, Rachael Durley, said she was going to miss the store because “there’s nothing like it around here in Santa Clarita.”

Former employee Laura Chesler said she started with the business during its early years when she was still in college and reconnected with the owners over charity work when she began working with the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Foundation. “She’s done some amazing things for the hospital. This is a heart store and you know it the second you step in.”

Besides giving back to the hospital, Cobblestone Cottage has supported several nonprofits in the past and that’s how they’d like to close the curtains, said Brandt.

“How can we go out with a bang?” she said. “We will reach out to nonprofits and ask them to come in, whether that’s for a food drive or other kind of drives. This is our last chance to support them.”

Allie said there is no official closing date but customers can soon expect closing sale announcements.

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

1 Comment

  1. Linda says:

    I’m really saddened by this news. There is nothing like going into a warm store, spying all of the goods by touch and sight. To me, brick and mortars are needed just as much as web purchases, if not more. You can try on the clothes, see it in real light – make an informed decision…purchase it if you want to (with no shipping/handling costs). Best of all, you don’t have to worry about porch pirates!
    Another thing, nostalgia. what will be in place of brick and mortars? More housing? Coffee/internet cafes?
    Cobblestone is a beautiful shop (that landlord should be ashamed of him/herself for not allowing Cobblestone to minimize their space, especially for how long they’ve resided there), and it breaks my heart that it will be closing.

Leave a Comment


Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
College of the Canyons notched its first victory at the newly named Mike Gillespie Field on Saturday, winning its second straight conference series, this time over visiting Bakersfield College, by a 6-4 final score. 
Cougars Notch First Win at Mike Gillespie Field
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The Master's University hit 20 3-pointers, one shy of the program record in a game, to defeat the St. Thomas Bobcats 122-91 in the second round of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Basketball National Championship tournament.
Mustangs Advance to NAIA Sweet 16
The Master's University baseball team lost a pair of 1-run games Saturday against the Menlo Oaks in Atherton, Calif.
Mustangs Drop Three Games to Menlo
The Los Angeles County Development Authority is excited to announce that its executive director, Emilio Salas, has been appointed to a two-year term to serve as a member of the national Strategic Planning Advisory Committee for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).
LACDA’s Emilio Salas Appointed to National Planning Advisory Committee
The 28th Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival is back with your favorite musical performers and an exciting lineup of new acts.
Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival Live Music Performers Announced
REDLANDS — College of the Canyons track and field recorded a dozen top-10 finishes and established 30 new personal records while competing at the University of Redlands Invitational on March 15. 
Cougars Earn Top-10 Finishes at Redlands Invitational
There is so much to learn from different customs and cultures and you don’t need a plane ticket to experience it all.
City’s 2024 ‘Celebrate’ Lineup Released
Big Chicken, the star-powered fast casual chicken concept, which has a location in Santa Clarita, is fueling the mania for the Big Tournament with a nationwide Big Bracket Challenge.
Compete for Chance to Open Shaquille O’Neal Chicken Restaurant
California State University, Northridge’s Spring 2024 Cinematheque series will pay tribute to Hollywood casting director and producer Deborah Aquila, executive vice president and head of casting at Paramount Television Studios and CBS Studios, to mark the end of Women’s History Month on Wednesday, March 27.
Legendary Casting Director Deborah Aquila to Speak at CSUN
On Friday, March 22, the Uniquely Abled Academy (UAA) at College of the Canyons will host a graduation ceremony for nine students who have completed the UAA’s pilot robotics training program.
March 22: COC’s Uniquely Abled Academy Robotics Graduation
The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is excited to announce spring has sprung at its local parks, including those in the Santa Clarita Valley.
L.A. County Parks Releases Spring Jubilee Dates
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office released the list of six productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, March 18 - Sunday, March 24.
‘Bosch Legacy,’ ‘CSI Vegas’ Among Six Productions Filming in SCV
Unlike our children who enjoy a week-long spring break, we adults no longer have that luxury.
Ken Striplin | Register Now for Spring Break Camp 2024
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit the following Los Angeles County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing and playing in ocean waters due to bacterial levels exceeding health standards when last tested.
Ocean Water Advisory Continues for L.A. County Beaches
The California Department of Motor Vehicles now offers a faster way for businesses to check that their employees have clean driving records using the new online Employee Pull Notice (EPN) Service.
DMV Launches Enhanced Digital Employer Pull Notice Service
1919 - Fire destroys abandoned second Southern Hotel, built 1878 in Newhall (corner Main & Market) [story]
Second Southern Hotel
1927 - Newhall telephone exchange, est. 1900, now serves 100 phones [story]
telephone
2003 - Lifesize sculpture honoring heroes of St. Francis Dam disaster unveiled in Santa Paula [video]
The Warning
In the first of three matches on consecutive nights in Arizona, The Master's men's volleyball team defeated Benedictine-Mesa in three sets 27-25, 28-26, 25-19.
TMU Men’s Volleyball Sweeps Benu in Arizona
Greg Herrick, the former longtime College of the Canyons women's basketball head coach who recorded 611 career wins while winning 16 conference titles, was inducted into the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association (CCCWBCA) Hall of Fame during the organization's annual Banquet of Champions at Mt. San Antonio College on March 13.
Longtime COC Women’s Basketball Coach Herrick Enshrined in Hall of Fame
The Santa Clarita Planning Commission will hold its regular meeting Tuesday, March 19, at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd. 1st Floor, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
March 19: Planning Commission to Discuss Wiley Canyon Mixed Use Project
Attend the city of Santa Clarita's most unique egg hunt, the Splash N’ Dash at the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center, presented by Kaiser Permanente.
March 30: Dive into Spring at Splash n’ Dash Egg Hunt
String orchestras and concert bands from around the Santa Clarita Valley and Southern California will participate in the Southern California School Band & Orchestra Association concert festival hosted by West Ranch High School on Tuesday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 27, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
March 26-27: SoCal School Band, Orchestra Concert Festival
SCVNews.com