In The Faded Awning’s final weeks in business, emotions were high for owner Cathy Allen and her team. Their customers were similarly sentimental, as some had been shopping at the La Jolla store for nearly 15 years.
“The first couple of days of the [closing] sale, everybody was crying,” Allen said. “The customers were crying and I’m hiding in the back room because I’m so sad. But every day that went by, it got a little bit better.
“There was actually a week there where I don’t think I cried. But I have cried today.”
Until its closure Jan. 31, The Faded Awning, an interiors store, was a steady presence on Girard Avenue, selling an eclectic mix of nautical-themed furnishings, clothes, dishes, totes, shells and linen. It had “just about everything you could think of … besides food and swimsuits,” Allen said.
When it first opened, The Faded Awning was akin to a “seaside farmhouse” and “more of a group store” selling items from several vendors, she said. As time went on and the business grew, some of its makeup changed.
“We started selling more and more furniture that was new … but [the store’s] personality never changed,” Allen said. “Over the 15 years, I’ve had some of the most wonderful girls who have worked for me. And they’ve all become a family.”
But after Allen suffered a seizure in September, her family encouraged her to step away from work. Operating a business, they believed, was a significant source of stress.
Allen didn’t push back on that notion but did advocate keeping the store open for one last holiday season.
“All my girls knew from that point on,” Allen said. “We just said ‘Well, we got this whole back room full of Christmas stuff that’s already come in.’ So I told my family ‘You’ve got to give me until January.’”
The first week of October, the store showcased its last batch of Christmas-themed decorations. It also hosted its final holiday open house — an annual event with wine and catered food typically held the first Thursday of December. Allen said those gatherings often were highlights of her tenure.
The Faded Awning’s inventory dwindled over the next few months to the point that only six items were left unsold. The week after it closed, Allen and some staff were at the store, moving boxes and finalizing paperwork.
Allen lived in La Jolla for 32 years before moving to Encinitas eight years ago with her husband, Roger. The inspiration for what would become The Faded Awning came on a trip that she and a friend took to .
Over two weeks in September 2009, she and a dozen fellow travelers on a tour visited a different place each day, from Paris to southern . At one of the small towns, something caught her eye.
“We were sitting at a little cafe and we were looking across the street and there was a really cute little store,” Allen said. “I told [my friend] ‘Let’s go in there. Let’s go check out that store.’”
As she browsed in the store, she thought “I could do this.”
The Faded Awning opened in May 2010.
Previously, Allen worked in retail as early as her junior year of high school. Before opening her store, she showed her work at the since-closed Girard Avenue Collection, owned by her colleague Shannon Turner.
What started as a 10-by-10-foot space soon took up about one-fifth of the store, Allen said. With a strong local following, she was “lucky” to launch her new business, she said.
One of the hardest parts about closing her store, she said, is saying goodbye to the La Jolla community.
“I would come down here every day … and I would work … see the girls who work here, see my friends and … the customers,” Allen said. “It was just great. So all I could think of that last week was ‘I’m not going to be coming down here. I’m not going to see anyone.’ It was very sad and scary.”
Many people have reached out to her to stay in touch. Though she said she hopes they can catch up in the future, “I just feel a big loss.”
Kris Bailey, a Faded Awning staff member, got connected to the store 2½ years ago and said she saw the impact it had on the community.
Bailey had retired at age 53 after teaching at Francis Parker School in San Diego. With her schedule newly open, she sought a new job where she could see and talk with people while maintaining flexible hours. The Faded Awning was a perfect fit.
“Having all the people come in — the locals and also the out-of-towners — it was just a really great experience to work in such a beautiful store,” Bailey said. “Everyone was lovely, and it was wonderful.”
The final week, she said, was “both sad and happy at the same time” — happy because customers rallied around Allen and showed their appreciation for the store, and sad because she wouldn’t be able to work there again.
Allen said travel and time with her family are on the top of her priority list. After a stay in Bend, Ore., she plans to visit her daughter and two grandchildren in Atlanta and plan trips with her husband. ♦
