BIZNOTE FOLLOWUP: Click! Design That Fits to permanently close after tomorrow

Last weekend we reported that Click! Design That Fits (4540 California SW; WSB sponsor) might permanently close if its prospective buyer couldn’t reach agreement with the building’s owner on a new lease. Click! proprietor and co-founder John Smersh has just sent word that a deal was not reached. Here’s his announcement:

It’s official – the potential new owner of Click! has been unable to negotiate a sustainable lease with our landlord, and as such our last day open will be tomorrow, Thursday, September 8th. We will continue to liquidate our remaining inventory and will be offering store fixtures and other items at garage sale prices.

We will be open until 6 pm today (Wednesday) and 11 am-8 pm Thursday, staying late during West Seattle Art Walk for last-minute sales and fond farewells. Thank you to everyone who has been part of the last 18 years with us!

If you’re on the Click! mailing list, John promises “one more email newsletter next week with information on how to stay in touch going forward.” He put the shop on the market in May; it was in The Admiral District for its first six years before moving to The Junction,

18 Replies to "BIZNOTE FOLLOWUP: Click! Design That Fits to permanently close after tomorrow"

  • HTB September 7, 2022 (4:49 pm)

    I would honestly be interested in hearing from the landlord here. What is the logic is leaving a retail space empty if you can’t get the rent you want?

  • Anne September 7, 2022 (4:53 pm)

    What a shame.

  • Keith September 7, 2022 (5:21 pm)

    What a shame that the landlord couldn’t work something out with this beloved local & independent business. Perhaps another property slated for redevelopment?

  • WS Resident September 7, 2022 (5:45 pm)

    I really hoped it wouldn’t come to this! My husband and I love shopping here, or just coming in to browse the knick knacks. Best wishes for the owners moving forward!

  • Duffy September 7, 2022 (6:29 pm)

    Can’t wait for another real estate office!!! Wahoooo!!!/s

  • Jim September 7, 2022 (7:22 pm)

    Seems to be a recurring theme in the junction with landlords demanding more only to have empty spaces with no rent. Doesn’t make sense. How many of these landlords own the buildings and if they do does their greed have no limits?

    • Anne September 8, 2022 (7:11 am)

      Calling landlords greedy without knowing facts is wrong. There was a lease in place with CLICK-that spanned several years. There’s no way property taxes & other costs associated with that building have not increased over that time-so understandable that a new lease would reflect that increase. People buy property & lease or rent them to make money-for many it’s their income. Personally I generally don’t have a problem with that. We don’t know what the negotiations entailed that made it impossible for  the deal to go through. I do think it’s a shame that we are losing these special retail shops -that only add to the uniqueness of the Junction. If too many more leave the only reason anyone will have to go there is to eat. I will miss CLICK. 

  • Ashley September 7, 2022 (8:42 pm)

    The junction is losing so many small businesses. It is awful. WS blog – if possible, could you do a piece on how many businesses have closed in the past six months? And/or reach out to city council and local leaders to see what they can do to help support small businesses? I can’t count how many have closed in the past few months due to landlords and building leases. It really sad. 

    • Lee K September 8, 2022 (7:52 pm)

      Agreed. Hard to know the details and too easy to place blame without facts. I would love to see an article about the state of the junction businesses and how landlords are dealing with the I rented spaces as well. Seems odd to have more businesses unable to negotiate a decent deal while there is so much space available right now. 

  • RJB September 7, 2022 (9:19 pm)

    Dang it….you will be greatly missed!!

  • K E M September 7, 2022 (9:34 pm)

    My husband and I stumbled upon Click! back when Frances and John opened the shop in the Admiral Junction, and we used to go in there all the time for cool finds and conversation with whichever Smersh happened to be there. When they moved to the Alaska Junction it was exciting to witness their business growing and to see so many more people in the shop and discovering the goodness. Click! was really an anchor to the Junction – exactly the kind of business that has made West Seattle West Seattle. Home grown, hard-working, fueled by kindness and community, and just… part of it all. Many thanks to John and Frances’s cultivation of it all, and representing the best of what community can be. Click!, you’ll be missed! 

  • HS September 7, 2022 (9:36 pm)

    Really disappointing to read. Your business will be greatly missed. I enjoyed shopping there and bringing my out of town guests there to buy something cool and unique.

  • William September 7, 2022 (10:16 pm)

    This really is a darn shame. I really liked seeing this place, and have bought so many gifts for friends/family I’ve lost count. 

  • raywest September 8, 2022 (3:14 am)

    Just hate seeing these type of small retail  businesses closing.  Something will replace it, of course, but most likely yet another bar, cafe, coffee spot, or some other eatery. That’s mostly what the W.S. Junction has become. Not saying there’s anything wrong with those, but there’s just no variety anymore.

  • what!? September 8, 2022 (3:31 am)

    Darn it! This is my go-to for gift shopping! Ugh! that landlord sucks! 

  • AT September 8, 2022 (7:00 am)

    So disappointing :(

  • helpermonkey September 8, 2022 (8:07 am)

    Another small business brought down by the greed of a landlord. Shame. I have enjoyed shopping at Click since they opened and will miss all of the unique treasures. 

  • Audifans September 8, 2022 (9:48 am)
    • Well, it’s a negotiation (as usual) between renter and owner. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Let’s just see what happens next with the property.  Inflation is real so I don’t begrudge the owner increasing what they need. Taxes are real.

Sorry, comment time is over.