To be or not to be? — a Cobble Hill gift shop and gallery has gone with the latter.
Shakespeare’s Sister is going out of business after 15 years on Court Street.
The fault, dear readers, is not in their stars, but in the economy, said Gina Rosencrantz, an artist who manages the store between Butler and Douglass streets.
“Over the last two years, there’s been a drop-off,” she said.
It’s a bitter irony, considering that as Cobble Hill has become more affluent, owner Aaron Brown has actually gone down-market to stay in business.
“We used to have more high-end things, but we’ve had to come down quite a bit. Average purchases have gone way down,” Rosencrantz explained. “Even things that used to sell like hotcakes are just sitting here, like the French soaps, and small luxury items.”
The decision to shutter the store was painful, but it became inevitable after a winter that was one of discontent.
The actual closing day for the store, which is at 270 Court St., is expected to be April 30.
