A longtime downtown business is leaving Los Altos.
Thai Silks, established in 1964, is scheduled to close its store at 252 State St. by the end of the month and continue as an online and over-the-phone business.
Years of dwindling foot traffic and the rising price of Chinese silk imports made the retail store “no longer viable,” according to a Thai Silks employee who requested anonymity.
The business will still offer the same selection of silks from China, India, Korea and Thailand, the employee said, and customers may order free test swatches of most fabrics.
One loyal customer, Linda Lukens, said she was “absolutely sad” to see Thai Silks leave town. She added that the store drew her from San Jose to Los Altos for shopping trips over the years. “There’s something missing” from the online experience, Lukens said, and she prefers browsing in the store.
Devoted customers like Lukens aren’t the only people disappointed to see the Los Altos store shutter. Thai Silks’ move to a warehouse in Mountain View is not easy on the staff, either.
“We’re all sad, after 31 years of coming to this beautiful town, to move to an industrial area,” said Rosi Valqui, store manager. “Over the phone is not the same experience. People want to feel the fabric.”
Thai Silks originally opened on Main Street and moved to its State Street location less than a decade later. Los Altos resident Col. G. Dean Morgan launched the store, and his daughter, Deanne Shute, now owns the business. It serves customers from as far away as Argentina and Hong Kong.
For more information, visit thaisilks.com.
