By Mike Hazlip—
Reports of the death of Sunrise Mall are greatly exaggerated, according to Irfan Khan, owner of Infinity Jewelers.
Khan opened his shop about two weeks ago and offers a wide selection of rings, earrings, necklaces, and other items. The store is near the Macy’s south entrance and Khan says he plans to stay in business longterm, with the help of his brother.
“That was the main thing,” Khan said. “A couple came in yesterday and they were asking me because someone had told them this mall is going to be closed.”
Khan noted the Sunrise Tomorrow project is slated to be implemented in phases over a 20-year timeline. The city has also emphasized that development is expected to begin on the outer parking lot areas first, without affecting existing businesses inside the mall.
“People don’t trust the new businesses like us,” said Khan. “They think maybe we are here temporarily, and maybe the next six months we won’t be here.”
With more than two decades in the jewelry business, Khan decided to open his store in Citrus Heights after closing his Oakland based business due to rising crime. After an armed robbery at the Oakland location, Khan moved to the Sacramento area where he worked for neighboring Sam’s Jewelers before opening Infinity, he said.
“I had to close there, it was too risky to open it,” he said of his Oakland store. “So I decided I had to save my life and I moved on here.”
Still, Khan is aware of a recent smash-and-grab robbery at Roseville Galleria, and acknowledges that criminal activity is everywhere.
He says business has been slow, and he would like to see more promotional events to drive traffic at the mall. The customers he sees frequenting the mall are often older individuals that have been regulars for years.
“We don’t see any new customers coming,” he said. “We have repeat customers who know about this mall, a lot of retired people who don’t want to deal with the traffic of Arden Fair or Folsom. They like to come here.”
With luxury goods often a casualty of tough economic times, Khan is concerned about a potential recession, but says foot traffic at the mall began dropping off long before the current economy.
Related: City seeing ‘a ton of interest’ from developers in Sunrise Mall plans
