Midtown Reno is losing another one of its iconic stores as The Melting Pot World Emporium & Smoke Shop announced it will close its retail location later this year.
Eric Baron, who owns the Melting Pot with his wife, Monique, confirmed Monday they plan to close their business after 28 years and eventually list the building at 1049 S. Virginia St. for sale.
The store sells clothing, jewelry, incense and other goods that are especially popular with the Burning Man crowd. Baron said online sales will continue, and they’ll look at future pop-up locations to coincide with events like Burning Man.
An actual closing date has not been set, but it will be sometime after Burning Man, Baron said.
“We had a long run — probably longer than most independent retailers,” Baron said. “Nothing lasts forever.”
Why is Melting Pot World Emporium closing?
The Melting Pot will be joining a list of beloved Midtown stores that have left the district.
Two of those stores left last year.
Recycled Records left after its rent nearly doubled . Junkee Clothing Exchange, one of the original stores that triggered Midtown’s transformation from a seedy location to a bustling corridor, moved to Reno Public Market after owner Jessica Schneider wasn’t able to buy the building.
One advantage that Melting Pot had over Recycled Records and Junkee was that the Barons own their building. But that wasn't enough to weather more than five years of reduced business after a one-two punch that hit their bottom line hard.
The first was a major roadway improvement initiative called the Virginia Street Project .
“We were doing great until 2018 when they broke ground on the Midtown construction project,” Baron said. “By the time the project got to our door, we were down 35% (in sales).”
“The sidewalk got ripped out so you can’t even get to our store sometimes, so people really gave up,” he said.
Baron was hoping to see store traffic go up again after the roadway project wrapped up. But the completion of the Virginia Street Project’s Midtown section in 2020 coincided with yet another crisis.
Instead of celebrating the end of construction, Midtown retailers found themselves as collateral damage from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were excited to get a new street, but then we went right into the pandemic,” Baron said. “My store was closed for nine weeks.”
By the time the Melting Pot reopened, business was never the same.
People were still staying home and observing social distancing at the time. The pandemic also accelerated the shift to online retail. Even now, the Melting Pot is not doing the same amount of business it did in 2018.
“There’s a big failure in brick-and-mortar (retail) going on nationally and internationally, really,” Baron said. “We are losing independently owned brick-and-mortar stores and that’s not good for the local economy.”
Burning Man, then bust
Ironically, Baron said, the store is “doing even stronger than ever” since word that it’s closing got out Friday.
“Frankly, business was incredible this weekend,” Baron said.
For Baron, the uptick was bittersweet. Although he appreciates the love and support they’ve been getting since the announcement, the store still needs to close.
“We’ve incurred so much debt over the last five years trying to pull out of the downward spiral,” Baron said. “There’s not a financial solution at this point besides selling the building.”
Baron expects business to stay busy all the way through Burning Man, Aug. 25 to Sept. 2.
After Burning Man, the Melting Pot will start the transition to closing its physical location while focusing on its online store as well as occasional pop-ups tied to events such as Earth Day and, of course, Burning Man.
“Burning Man is our biggest season and that’s what we specialized in,” Baron said. “We can do a pop-up at another business or do a temporary lease at a space we can inhabit during the month of August.”
A changed Midtown Reno?
The departure of three longtime retailers further fuels questions about how Midtown is changing and whether that change is for the better.
The Melting Pot was one of the original stores, alongside Junkee, that formed the original merchant association credited with kickstarting Midtown Reno’s renaissance back in 2008.
The store opened in 1996 on Wells Avenue. It moved to Midtown in 1999, first to Virginia and Taylor streets and then their current location 18 years ago, according to Baron. At the time, many questioned the decision.
“The street was kind of ornery, raunchy and rundown,” Baron said. “My friends were like, ‘Is it really OK moving your business there?’”
Today, the organically formed Midtown is arguably the most popular district in Reno, outlasting efforts to create other districts elsewhere in and around the city’s core.
With growth and rising rents squeezing out many of the local merchants that gave Midtown its quirky vibe, however, there are concerns about its viability for such homegrown businesses, especially mom-and-pop shops.
The district that served as his store’s home for a quarter century is “a lot different,” Baron said.
“I was sad when (Junkee) moved out last year,” Baron said. “I’ve had more than a few people tell me that, ‘Without Recycled Records and Junkee and you guys, I won’t have a reason to come to Midtown.’
“That’s sad to hear."
In the meantime, Baron intends to focus on keeping the Melting Pot going for its remaining time. This includes stocking the store as normal to keep up with demand.
By informing them well in advance, customers will hopefully have an opportunity to say their farewells.
“We had people coming into the store in tears, literally,” Baron said. “It’s heartwarming and sad to see, too.”
Baron wishes the physical store could stay open. Given the changing retail environment and the costs, however, he and his wife have no choice, Baron said.
“This is not me choosing to retire at 58,” Baron said. “This is just weathering five challenging years.”
“We had a good run."
This article originally appeared on Reno Gazette Journal: Battered by roadwork then pandemic, Melting Pot World Emporium is closing Midtown store
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