Mervyn's Closes Its Doors

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- On Dec. 28, Mervyn's on California Ave. closed its doors.

People loaded their cars and trucks with jewelry cases, clothes racks, shelves and a variety of store racks that were left in Mervyn’s.

The city planning commission told ABC23 that the street name will likely remain and that they are not naming streets after businesses anymore because too many are closing.

Shoe Pavillion fell victim to the slumping economy, shutting their doors earlier this month.

Joe Coughlan, owner of Coconut Joe’s said, “You know we've been here long enough now we are known as a destination restaurant so people know about us… Our joke is that we are a great little restaurant in a cruddy little center. That's a temporary joke I hope. But people know we're here."

Coughlan also said when things start picking up again restaurants are the first to bounce back.

Many of the shoppers and retailers in the shopping center seemed very optimistic that the center will come back to life.