Shop Talk-- Furniture store to take over Liquidation World space

In September, I wrote a story about the large vacant properties in downtown Yakima. The economic downturn and a tighter commercial lending market has made it difficult to fill the vacancies.

Joe Mann, who owns several of the properties, says one of those large vacancies is about to be filled.

K&K Custom Furniture will relocate in September from its location at 911 W. Nob Hill Blvd. to the former Liquidation World building at 16 N. Third St. The new location has 17,500 square feet of floor space.

Owner Jose Torres said his business outgrew the current space.

"It looks like I have 6,000 square feet of furniture in 3,000 square feet of area," Torres said.

Mann joked that my article motivated him to find a tenant. In reality, it's not surprising that one of his properties broke the streak of large-scale vacancies.

Torres said Mann was one of the reasons he was drawn to the space: "He basically made things happen," he said.

Among those things is offering to pay $10,000 to $12,000 in building improvements, including an interior and exterior paint job.

Mann has been know to offer incentives; you may remember he offered a year of free rent to the then-owners of Essencia Artisan Bakery when it first opened at 4 N. Third St. in 2003.

In any case, filling a large space is a big win for the downtown area.

"It shows people that things are happening downtown," said Jamie Lee Stickel, interim executive director of the Committee for Downtown Yakima.

Clothing store gets eviction notice

The Mid Valley Mall in Sunnyside wants to evict a clothing store for not paying rent.

According to a lawsuit filed May 20, Gen X Clothing Corp. owes nearly $22,000 in back rent to The Carrington Co., parent company of the Mid Valley Mall at 2010 Yakima Valley Highway.

The company has until Wednesday to respond to the lawsuit.

The Gen X Clothing store in Union Gap closed last month and is expected to become a Gap Factory Store.

The company has run into other money issues this year. In March and April, the Department of Revenue filed tax warrants against Gen X Clothing Corp. in King County Superior Court for back taxes of $35,209 and $24,646.

Did you notice?

* Chinatown Cafe, which will offer a mix of Chinese and American breakfasts, lunches and dinners, hopes to open by June 1 at 14 E. A St., said owner Chiuluan Tsai. The eatery will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

* Over the Hedge, a shop that offers supplies and clothing for English tack-style horse riding, has opened at Glenwood Square at 5110 Tieton Drive. The store also sells horse-themed gifts and home decor items, said owner Kirsten Smith. It's open from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturdays and by appointment Sundays-Tuesdays.

What's online?

Are cupcakes an economic indicator? Why don't all Subway stores offer the same promotions? The answer to these questions, along with the latest retail news, can be found on the Shop Talk blog (www.yakimaherald.com/shoptalk).

You can also follow Shop Talk on Twitter (twitter.com/shoptalkyakima) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/shoptalkyakima).

* Mai Hoang's Reporter's Notebook is published Mondays in the Marketplace section. To reach her, call 509-577-7685 or email maihoang@yakimaherald.com.