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Houshiarnejad Collections

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

On Kings Highway and Haddon Avenue, a Tale of Two Cities

Some businesses thrive and others die in the boom-or-bust cycle of Haddonfield storefronts. What lessons, if any, do these extremes hold for Collingswood retailers?

To borrow a well-worn phrase, these could be the best of times and the worst of times for Haddonfield businesses. Look no further than Kings Highway East to see why. Here, after 31 years, Wiseley Jewelers is closing its doors. Owner Stephen Wiseley—whose son, Jason, owns the Bread Board Plus on Haddon Avenue—plans to retire in Colorado. He called the closing a "lifestyle" choice, and said he'd love to sell the storefront, but hasn't yet. "We've had a strong year," Stephen Wiseley said. "A couple of years ago things were rough, but we're going out on top." Even so, Wiseley is the fourth jeweler on Kings Highway to close this year (the others are Yampell's, Cabnet Goldsmiths and Biefield's). Yampell's Jewelers had operated on Kings Highway …

Joseph

11:53 pm on Wednesday, December 5, 2012

The internet is good for some things, but it's not true that *everyone* wants to buy everything online...   more ›

Sunday, May 13, 2012

After 25 Years, Houshiarnejad Is Going Out of Business

Real estate costs kept driving rents up at the local landmark.

Mahmaud Houshiarnejad said his head was spinning. He stood near the center of his upscale, Persian rug store, Houshiarnejad's Collection, on Kings Highway East on a recent weekday and admitted he didn't have a clue what he would do next, when his doors closed for the last time and the creditors came to collect what was left. "My whole, entire life is this business," he said, quietly, as opera played softly in the background. "I worked to grow this business. I don't have a stomach for what to do next. I need to put my brain at rest." Houshiarnejad, 58, an Iranian-born U.S. citizen, said he doesn't blame anyone for his business closing. The economy has not been kind to him recently—a plight in which he is not alone in Haddonfield. He pointed…

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