Patrick James Palo Alto store falls victim to coronavirus economic slump

PALO ALTO >> Patrick James West Coast Classic, one of the Bay Area’s most venerable retail names, has decided to close its Palo Alto store, blaming a collapse in sales triggered by coronavirus-linked business closures.

The shutdown of the men’s clothing store in Palo Alto after 40 years in operation means a store that had survived some of the worst economic meltdowns since the Great Depression couldn’t stay alive amid government-ordered business shutdowns to combat the coronavirus.

“Closing our Palo Alto location is particularly painful, as I have such fond memories of visiting with my late father,” said Pat Mon Pere, president of Patrick James.

Among the calamities the Patrick James Palo Alto store managed to survive over four decades: the dot-com collapse, the economic slowdown after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the retail and financial apocalypse ushered in by the Great Recession.

Now, a growing number of retail and restaurant sites in California are closing because they haven’t been able to survive an array of shutdowns ordered by state and local government officials during the pandemic.

“A significant loss of sales” that occurred “after six months of battling the COVID-19 pandemic economically” forced the local retail fixture to close its doors, the store said in a release.

The store is at 855 El Camino in Palo Alto at the Town and Country Village Shopping Center, a popular shopping mall near Stanford University.

The store held a sale Friday as a way of thanking its customers. Patrick James didn’t specify a final closing date for the store.

Founded in Fresno in 1962, Patrick James has 12 locations in California, Arizona and Nevada.

“Our staff has become like family, and for many years, this location was our top-performing storefront,” Mon Pere said of the Palo Alto site.

The company’s stores in and next to the Bay Area are in Danville, Santa Rosa, Palo Alto, Aptos and Carmel. The retailer has 10 California locations, including Palo Alto.

“I want to thank our loyal customers and staff for their patronage through the years, and encourage everyone to support your small businesses as much as possible,” Mon Pere said.

The Patrick James retail chain was founded by Mon Pere’s father, Patrick Mon Pere Sr. The elder Mon Pere died in 2018, but sons Mike, Pat and Clay are involved in the business.

In the wake of the decision to close the Palo Alto store, the retailer has determined it must bolster the chain and its website presence so that the company can maneuver through the coronavirus-linked economic minefields.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us to navigate these times,” Mon Pere said.