San Diego appliance store abruptly closes leaving customers fearing big losses
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A luxury home appliance retailer with two stores in San Diego suddenly closed its doors on March 20 without explanation leaving customers hanging and fearing they’re out thousands of dollars.
Pirch has six locations in Southern California with one in Solana Beach and one in La Jolla.
“Everything felt shady, but we had no idea it was this bad,” said Leigh Lincoln, owner of Pure Salt Interiors in Newport Beach.
She and her business partner, Aly Morford, hosted an online forum Tuesday for clients and customers impacted.
“They shut down. We can’t get in touch with anyone,” Lincoln said.
“First thing clients need is to buy plumbing and appliances so Pirch has been our go to distributor for years,” Lincoln added. “In mid-March it was like this isn’t lining up, this isn’t making sense. We were demanding answers.”
Lincoln said they were getting the run around on shipments and deliveries.
“As the days went on, we started to grasp what a big situation this was,” Morford said.
A notice to pay rent is taped on the front door of the company’s Solana Beach location.
A letter on the door from Pirch also states, “Our store is currently closed for normal operations. We are determining the best path forward for our many customers and staff and feel we can do this best by pausing normal operations. Please check our website for re-opening information.”
On the Pirch company website it reads, “As of Wednesday, March 20th, PIRCH is temporarily closing all our showrooms this weekend. This is a pause of business to give management the opportunity to complete a go-forward plan. We are navigating through various options. We take this situation very seriously and are working diligently to resolve it.”
Meanwhile, Lincoln and Morford hosted an online forum Tuesday where a hundred people including homeowners, contractors and designers joined sharing similar stories of worry and fear.
“It was sickening to see how many people were affected,” Morford said.
“It’s hurting our clients. Our clients are then reluctant to finishing with us or pay their additional fees for furnishings. It’s a chain reaction. It’s hurting our clients, small businesses, interior designers, builders,” said Lincoln.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
