"We had wonderful local customers who supported the store and kept us going, " said owner Kathryn Peterson. "But we did not get enough tourist customers to make it worthwhile to continue."
Sargasso’s closing comes at the end of a winter season that many downtown merchants say was surprisingly strong.
All of Sargasso’s merchandise — including such well-known brands as Flax, Go Silk, Fendi, Hanro, Stephen Dweck jewelry and Cano pre-Colombian reproductions — will go on sale, Peterson said.
Peterson moved Sargasso to Trompeter Gade last fall from Hibiscus Alley when she closed the large Coach store there that housed several boutique-like shops. She consolidated the leather goods and luggage into her Leather Shop on Main Street but set up Sargasso as a separate store.
Sargasso, which began its life in 1996 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on the East End, has been managed by Elfie Veser and Bodil Norton, both well-known for their work over the years at various downtown retail stores.
