PORT ANGELES — By the middle of July, all 30-or-so employees at the Port Angeles Gottschalks will lose their jobs.
“I feel bad, because this has been such a successful store,” said Ken Porter, store manager.
“We had a tradition of retail in this building.”
Porter worked at Lamonts Apparel Inc., housed for 16 years in the 35,000-square-foot building at 200 W. First St., before Fresno-based Gottschalks purchased the Seattle-based, 37-store chain in bankruptcy court for $21.8 million in May 2000.
Prior to Lamonts, the building housed The Peoples department store.
Liquidation sales
The date for finishing liquidation is July 15 nationwide.
Going-out-of-business sales are expected to begin in Gottschalks stores throughout the nation, including Port Angeles, on Thursday or Friday.
Most of the employees who work in stores “should be fine until the end of the sale,” Gottschalks CEO James Famalette told The Fresno (Calif.) Bee.
Too soon to tell
“It is much too soon to tell how all the liquidation will go,” Porter said. “Sometimes it goes quickly.
“But I’ve also seen where it doesn’t. Like when Lamonts was liquidating, they weren’t happy with how fast the merchandise was going, so they packed up everything and took it to a different store.”
Porter worries about the associates who will lose their jobs.
“Because of the employees, this is one of the most successful stores,” he said.
As the store begins the process of preparing for liquidation, Porter is trying to keep spirits up.
Betsy Fulwider, human resources and sales audit associate, said she was disappointed to hear about the liquidation at the store’s morning meeting on Tuesday.
“My biggest concern is this community,” she said. “I hope some department store will come in here.”
She hopes that a department store company would maintain the current staff.
“But if not, I’ll try and find something around here,” she said.
“If I can’t do that, I’ll go to the other side of the big pond — to Seattle.
“But I don’t want to do that. I like it here.”
Concern for town
Tom Waler, area manager of men’s, kids and home sections, also said that his greatest concern was for the town, which will lose its only department store.
“I just feel bad for the town and the customers,” Walker said. “I don’t have a plan yet for myself, not at this time.”
Customers Sylvia Hargreaves and Barb Silva, both of Port Angeles, said they hoped a new store would come in.
“This is horrible,” Hargreaves said.
“Silverdale is a long ways away. Maybe they’ll put in a Macy’s.”
Silva said she has frequented the store since 2005.
“We need a good department store here,” she said.
“Hopefully, we can get something new in.”
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
