Ramona residents will have one less place to shop for gifts after Valentine’s Day when the Elam’s Hallmark store is set to close.
Owner Guy Elam, who operates the store with his family, said the store in the Albertson’s shopping center is closing for a number of reasons. A significant factor is the cost related to employees: the minimum wage has nearly doubled from $8 an hour when the Ramona Hallmark first opened in 1994 and Social Security and workers’ compensation contributions have also increased, he said.
In addition, Elam said he has seen a decline in customer traffic since the opening of the ALDI store in September 2021. Fewer customers are visiting the shopping center since ALDI opened, he said.
The decision to close was made as the shop’s lease was being renewed, he said.
“Rent is always part of the equation and rent is expensive in California, too,” said Elam, although he didn’t elaborate about the store’s rent costs. “The bottom line is, the store has not made any money in two years. It’s not growing. If sales were up 10 percent every year that would cover it, but it’s not.”
The family has not been able to raise prices to cover increased expenses because the Hallmark company sets the prices, he added.
The store at 1423 Main St. has begun discounting merchandise by 25 percent and Christmas items by 50 percent in anticipation of shuttering the day after Valentine’s Day, Feb. 15.
Hallmark customer Tammy White, a Ramona resident for 23 years, said she’s not happy about the closure. White began buying Hallmark Christmas ornaments when her grown children, now in their 30s, were toddlers, and specifically began buying them at the Ramona Hallmark store since 2000.
“I am so sad because I shop here a lot, and more so at Christmastime,” White said. “I like to shop where I live but they’re making it impossible.”
White added that she puts a lot of thought into buying presents and when she can’t find anything to buy at other stores she can usually find it at Elam’s Hallmark in Ramona. With other stores closing in Ramona and some mall stores shuttering she said her local shopping options are becoming narrower.
“They’re taking away our shopping up here and I’m not happy about it,” White said. “I’m going to be very sad to see this place go.”
Hallmark customer Janean Jansen said she’s sorry to see the store close.
“They’re our go-to store for gifts, whether it’s anniversaries or birthdays,” said Jansen, who has lived in Ramona since 1972. “It’s very sad.”
Elam said he will consider retaining Ramona Hallmark employees if they are able to work at one of his other locations, although he added that some of them live in Ramona. Nearby store locations include Poway, Westfield North County mall in Escondido, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Grossmont Center and San Marcos.
Laurie McCormick, Ramona Hallmark’s manager, said she learned Dec. 27 that the store she has worked at for 11 years would be closing.
“This is Ramona’s store and all of the customers have said over and over that they’re bummed,” McCormick said. “It’s a sad thing for Ramona. We’re losing our gifts store.”
McCormick says she has a job lined up at a new hardware store opening in San Diego Country Estates, but she’s going to miss her co-workers and customers.
“It’s for sure a sad day,” she commented between waiting on customers at the Ramona Hallmark. “It’s a nice community here. We’re family.”
Elam said he has been in the Hallmark business since 1979, when he opened his first store in Rancho San Diego. The Elam family currently has 12 Hallmark stores including the Ramona store, with 11 of those stores located in San Diego County and one in Laguna Niguel.
Ramona residents would still have the option of shopping at the nearby Elam’s Hallmark stores at the Westfield North County shopping center in Escondido, and at the 13444 Poway Road location in Poway, Elam said.
“We’ve had a lot of good customers and good employees,” Elam said. “It’s a very sad thing and it’s sad for our family. We love Ramona, we just needed more business.”
