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Some – but not all – businesses moving to new Ski Run Center

Sara Thompson
Jim Grant / Tahoe Daily Tribune The new Ski Run Shopping Center is being built next to the current center at Highway 50 and Ski Run Boulevard.
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It’s no April Fools’ joke: On April 1, Ski Run Center in South Lake Tahoe will close down.

But don’t fret: Several of the center’s businesses will move right next door.

The new Ski Run Shopping Center is scheduled to open June 15 in what was a vacant lot between the current shopping center at Ski Run Boulevard and Highway 50, and Chevy’s Fresh Mex Restaurant. The new structure has been under construction for months.



This is the beginning of Phase One of the project, said Bill Edwards, president of Gersick Enterprises, which owns the center. The next step in this phase will entail demolishing the current building site on Ski Run, paving and some landscaping.

“We’re going to do everything possible to stick to schedule,” Edwards said.



Construction of the Ski Run Shopping Center parking lot must be completed before the new center opens, forcing current businesses to close early. Leases are up April 1.

Construction will force the current center’s businesses to close for 75 days, though that’s OK with some occupants.

Goodfellas Pizza owner Kern McCarthy said he’s looking forward to the move. “It’s a slow time of year, so it’s the best time to move,” he said.

McCarthy explained that he’s working with his employees on compensation options while the restaurant is closed. Employees can apply for unemployment with the state, he added.

Ski Run Coin Laundry Manager John Parker said he doesn’t mind the break. The laundromat still has two other locations, High Sierra Coin Laundry and Tahoe Laundry Center Coin Laundry, so it won’t affect business that much, he said.

And for Parker, there’s a silver lining to the recess: Parker said he will drive to Phoenix to see his grandchildren.

Edwards expects five of the center’s existing businesses to move to the new site, including Ski Run Coin Laundry and Goodfellas Pizza. Hot Gossip Wireless Internet Cafe might be moving to the new site, too, Edwards said. The Tribune wasn’t able to reach the owner of the cafe for comment.

But some are choosing not to move.

Former Pazazz Boutique owner Lois Yuzbick closed her doors after 18 years. “I just think this town is dying,” she said.

She said her business has been decreasing for five years, and the cost of doing business has risen.

Yuzbick also owns Pazazz Fashions in Gardnerville and said the store is three times larger there than her South Lake Tahoe boutique, plus the rent is cheaper. She said she didn’t think a clothing store would do well in the new center, so she’s focusing on her Gardnerville store.

“I do just as good of business down there,” Yuzbick said.

Other owners are more optimistic.

McCarthy said he thinks the new center’s fresher design will attract customers. “The area won’t be such a hole in the wall,” he said.

Edwards said he did not know the exact cost of the new center. He added that rents would vary but declined to comment on the amounts.

Phase Two of the project will expand the Phase One building. The expanded structure will be built at the corner of the property, Edwards said. Phase Two is expected to begin at the end of the summer and be completed in spring 2009.


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