After 16 Years, Three Sisters Antique Store Is Relocating

The storefront of Three Sisters in Willow Glen, Calif., on Aug. 1, 2024. David Lam/NTD

WILLOW GLEN, Calif.—After 16 years of building relations with customers in a small district of San Jose, Carole Demkowski is relocating her Three Sisters antique store to the neighboring city of Campbell, citing increased rent and decreased foot traffic.

“It’s been real bittersweet,” Ms. Demkowski told NTD, a sister media of The Epoch Times. “I’ve watched children who’ve grown up into young adults, that bought maybe a purse or necklace and still used it when they went to their senior prom.”

She noted two factors that pushed her to relocate her business.

“The fact that the rent went up was the deciding factor to close,” she said. “Once that decision was made, there was no turning back.”

Another reason for the move stems from a growing change in consumer shopping habits, particularly among younger demographics. She has noticed more people shopping and buying online in recent years, leading to less foot traffic for brick-and-mortar stores like hers. Younger generations—who may not have as much disposable income compared to their parents—are also prioritizing different spending needs.

The shop sat on the corner of Minnesota and Lincoln Avenues and officially closed its doors on July 31. After packing up and spending some time to regroup, Ms. Demkowski plans to start selling her antique items at a spot in a vintage store called Montebello Road located on Bascom Avenue in Campbell by the first weekend of September.

She said she will also explore other options for her business, including participating in antique shows and pop-up shops, to continue connecting with people in her community.

For Ms. Demkowski, her shop is more than just a business. From a young age, she had a liking for antiques and saw bringing vintage items back to life as a form of art.

One day while working in an antique shop in the San Francisco Bay Area, Ms. Demkowski spotted some sheet music from the 1940s titled “Three Little Sisters” by the Andrews Sisters, which sparked the inspiration for her store’s name. In 2008, she opened her shop, Three Sisters, to share her passion for antiques with collectors and admirers of vintage items in Silicon Valley.

“I just wait for that feeling, the idea to hit, and when I see something it just draws me in,” she said. “I can continue doing what I love, which is picking up merchandise that needs sometimes a little love and care and repairs to the wood, or reupholstering the fabric, or painting.”

Carole Demkowski speaks to NTD in Willow Glen, Calif., on Aug. 1, 2024. David Lam/NTD

Over the years, to appeal to more customers, she also began to sell items such as local honey produced by her husband and resident beekeeper, Steve Demkowski.

Three Sisters is among many businesses impacted by the rising cost of operating a business in California and changes to consumer habits.

Earlier this year, larger retailers such as Big Lots announced plans to close some California locations, and restaurants have cited inflation, supply chain problems, increased costs, and other economic factors as reasons for closing.

However, online spending continues to grow by 7 percent year-over-year nationwide, according to data from Adobe Analytics. The data show that shoppers spent roughly $331.6 billion online in the first four months of 2024.