December 18, 2019 – Los Angeles Times –  Call it the end of a retail era. After 41 years at the Fred Segal center, Ron Robinson is closing his Melrose Avenue bricks-and-mortar store in early 2020. (He shuttered his Santa Monica location in November.) Although the news may coincide with Barneys New York’s bankruptcy and a shifting retail landscape, Robinson emphasized that his stores shouldn’t be lumped in with the others.

He said he’s closing his doors to have more free time. “It was a decision I made,” the 70-year-old entrepreneur said, sipping coffee on the patio of Mauro Cafe adjacent to his West Hollywood store. “I said, ‘I’m just not up for another five years or 10 years.’ … It’s important to know that this isn’t a going-out-of-business. This isn’t lost-our-lease. This isn’t bankruptcy. … I’m at a certain age and I want the time for me.”

Robinson kicked off his farewell festivities in November with a friends-family-and-customers soiree called “A Happy Ending,” the first in a series of farewell events at the store. The boutique will remain open in January and, likely, into February. “We’re flexible,” Robinson said. “The landlords here really wanted us to stay. … I don’t have a firm [closing] date.”

Read more at the Los Angeles Times.