Rema Joseph closed her Monmouth Street women’s clothing and gift store on Sunday. (Click to enlarge)
Rema Joseph had hoped to hang on until the end of the year.
Then it became a matter of making it at least until the end of month.
But a paucity of customers willing to open their purses spelled an expedited end of her Red Bank clothing and accessories store, Cocoon.
Joseph shut out the lights one last time on Sunday, ending an eight-year run and joining the continual churn of businesses downtown.
“Things have just been quiet,” the Neptune Township resident told redbankgreen last week. “People come in and they like the merchandise, but they just don’t have the money to spend.”
Cocoon, at 28 Monmouth Street, was opened by Verona Isaacs 13 years ago, and Joseph, a customer, acquired the shop eight years ago, after leaving a career in telecom.
The last few years have been challenging, she said. But the final blow came with the recent Red Bank Sidewalk Sale, normally among the biggest weekends of her year. She said she sold just $110 worth of goods that Friday, and while sales picked up on the ensuing two days, the turnover wasn’t encouraging.
“The traffic isn’t what it used to be,” she said.
Cocoon’s departure follows news last week that Adams Imports, a Polish stoneware boutique located just two doors east, and Stokaboka Surf and Skate, just a few doors west, are also going out of business.
