In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Liburdi's in trouble, "Evil Empire" winning? posted by Eric S on September 22, 2008 at 20:52:43:

I have been in and out of their shop for years and never noticed much of a difference other than the change in locations.

Years ago, the shop was in a center in Irvine. There was lots of parking, good visibility, easy access and it was close to residential areas. The move to the Camp Ground in Costa Mesa put them in a commercial area with no visibility, okay parking and a long hike from your car to the shop with tanks. That may have been Matt’s decision or it may have been Joes, or they may not have had any choice but to move. The Irvine Company is notorious for refusing to renew leases of successful tenants when it decides it wants a different mix in a center.

Whatever the reason for the move, I thought the new location was a bad choice. As I recall (perhaps incorrectly), Black Barts was on its way out, Merkur had gotten out or was getting out of Newport Aquatics and Laguna Sea Sports was floundering. Sports Chalet did not have any shops south of Huntington Beach. That may have allowed Liburdis to flourish for awhile at the new site, but with the emergence of Beach Cities (that now owns Newport Aquatic and Laguna Sea Sports) and Sports Chalet opening a store in Crystal Court (now closed) and one in Irvine (which seems to be flourishing) coupled with a bad business cycle for brick and mortar scuba shops in general (Havens Reef, Reef Seekers, American Diving have all closed), it isn’t surprising that Liburdis is closing. Blaming Matt seems a bit unfair.

• Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Liburdi's in trouble, "Evil Empire" winning? Scuba man 15:49:01 12/09/08 (0)
• Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Liburdi's in trouble, "Evil Empire" winning? Second Fiddle 10:08:46 09/23/08 (2)
  • Closed???? Ken Kurtis 10:38:51 09/23/08 (1)
    • Re: Closed???? scjoe 11:34:27 09/23/08 (0)