Katherine Bwye, owner of the on 5108 York Blvd., stood behind a row of tables that lined the street in front of her shop on Sunday afternoon. Each table was piled with myriad items from JET's inventory. T-shirts, toys and crafts--everything had to go.
Bwye said Sunday was one of the last that JET's whimsical wares would be sold to the crafty denizens of Highland Park. Like the neighboring Eloelia's Boutique, which closed its doors last month, JET will soon vanish from York Boulevard's diverse business landscape.
Despite her affinity for the neighborhood, Bwye said she needed to bow out of the retail game. JET will live on though, Bwye said, online.
"Jet The Pilot will continue online and at special events all over," Bwye said. "I'd like to send a big 'thank you' to the people of Highland Park for their support over the last couple of years. I have made good friends there that I intend to keep and hope to support the community by still shopping and dining there. I look forward to all the changes and watching the community grow."
Jet:The Pilot had operated on York Boulevard for about three years, according to Bwye. Eloelia's was in the neighborhood for close to eight years, making it one of the forerunners of the neighborhood's mini .
With JET's and Eloelia's recent departures from the Boulevard, along with the closure of the Verdugo Pet Shop in February, that leaves three prominent, empty store fronts.
While eager entrepreneurs were able to carve out a little slice of prosperity on York in the earlier part of the decade due to rock bottom rents, Bwye said that may not be the case for the next crop of business owners who come to the neighborhood.
"Rent stayed consistent while I was here, but I heard that our landlord that might be looking to bring it up now," Bwye said.
What do you make of the changing face of York Boulevard? Are you sad to see Eloelia's and JET go? How do you think higher rents will impact the types of shops that might come to York Boulevard? Tell us in the comments.
This story is part of Patch's nationwide series " Tell us what issues and what stories in Arcadia go to the heart of your American Dream. Please contact editor David Fonseca at david.fonseca@patch.com.
