Extremely sad news (to me, at least) in Bob Shallit’s column today: the last remaining Wishing Well stores will be closing forever on Saturday. This is really depressing news. There are probably other imminent closings in the area that will hit harder, but Wishing Well was just such an entertaining and essential spot for decorations and craft supplies.
Shallit also mentions the store’s former “no kids” policy. The way I remember it as a kid (mid ’80s) was that you could enter the store, but they had a way of making you feel like they were watching you. Of course this made it an even more attractive spot. It was as if they really did sell M-80s and butterfly knives instead of paper hats and wedding decor.
The Sac Rag 
I am really not surprised.
I was in there last summer looking for party decorations, and the place was woefully empty. The bins that held the pinata sized goodies were nearly empty, and there was virtually no selection of anything.
It makes me sad, though. I definitely remember going in there as a kid, and wandering the isles wanting everything I saw. I suppose, though, with Dollar Tree cutting into decorations and small toys and the like, and people aren’t throwing big hooplas that need a theme like they used to, it was only a matter of time until Wishing Well was forced out.
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Even worse (to me) is that Postcards Etc. in midtown is closing next week! I love that place.
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I didn’t know that about Postcards! Midtown Monthly just had a little feature on that place, which reminded me of its existence. I tried to find the piece on their site but they haven’t updated since fall.
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CoolDMZ, the owners are actually closing up shop and moving to Mexico to retire so it’s not a completely negative thing. I do know business has been super slow there so they moved up the date of closing. It’s just a bummer cause a lot of the places within walking distance from my office are empty now.
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So I guess this means W-shing Well will not be replacing the missing letters on their sign?
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This is sad: I was just talking with a friend about all the stores we used to shop at as kids that are no longer in business: Woolworth’s, Weinstock’s, The Toy Shop (there was only one, where I used to get Breyer plastic horses), and now the Wishing Well. The owner mentioned in the Shallit column that Wal Mart made it tough for small shops like his to compete; but it’s unlikely Wal Mart will open one of its behemoth stores in midtown. So another storefront in Sacramento proper goes dark.
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Walmart only puts you out of business if you try to compete on price. WW could have advertised and beat them hands down on service, selection, or many various ways. But of course Walmart’s the convenient scapegoat of the independent store owner, be it books, toys, party supplies, or what have you.
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Wow! I see I am quite a bit late on this news. I now live far from Sacramento, but my mom and I used to drive 2 hours to go to Sac., with WW DEFINITELY being on the list. My mother has just passed, and I need the special cellophane bags you used to carry in every size imaginable. I was planning to pick them up when I got to Sac. It would have made my memory keepsakes that much more meaningful because she loved your store as much as I did (we shopped there from ’89-’04). I am so sad. Sacramento has been taken down a notch b/c of this. We never left your store without bags of goodies 😦
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Here it is 10years later and there has been nothing that even remotely compare to my favorite spot to shop…The Wishing Well Store, I have made many beautiful creations from using their merchandise….I do miss them deeply.
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It’s hard to find well-informed people for this
subject, however, you seem like you know what you’re talking about!
Thanks
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