One of Old Town’s oldest retailers, at least in the last half century, is closing

Another retail chapter is coming to a close in Old Town.

Aida’s, which has been there for about 35 years, is closing. It’s significant because it was an early adopter in the area.

As developer Dave Burk renovated Old Town warehouses one by one over the past several decades, one person immediately got his vision: Aida Sabha.

She started her jewelry sales as a wholesale business but then took 250 square feet in his Farm & Art Market building. That grew to 500 square feet then 1,000 square feet before he suggested she move to a building he had at First and Washington with 4,000 square feet.

“It had so much potential,” Sabha said.

She knew Burk and his wife, DJ, which convinced her to take the leap to such large space when few other retailers had much of a presence in Old Town.

“Because I knew them, I knew the place was going to be the place to be,” Sabha said.

She and the Burks all were proven right.

Now, though, at the peak of the area’s popularity in decades, Sabha and her daughter, Jamila, have decided to close their store.

“It feels right,” Jamila Sabha said. “You close at 36 years, it sounds funky”

The business is older than she is. Jamila Sabha grew up in the store, which changed and grew in its offerings over the years. She said it’s been fun “just to see what the community embraced and what it evolved to.”

Aida Sabha also was an early adopter with Brighton, first selling its belts and then its leather and jewelry.

“As the company grew, we grew with the company,” Jamila Sabha said.

The store had a coffeehouse upstairs for a long time, too. It closed at the start of the pandemic. It was around the same time Jamila Sabha was pregnant, so she said the timing was right.

Just as Jamila Sabha used to play at her mom’s store, her son, Matisse, now plays upstairs where the coffeehouse used to be.

In addition to Brighton and other jewelry, Aida’s also sells home and gift items, women’s accessories and the Vera Bradley line.

“My mom is great at business, and she is a visionary,” Jamila Sabha said.

The two aren’t interested in selling the business.

“We opened the doors, and we want to lock the doors,” Jamila Sabha said.

The closing is somewhat fluid. The last day likely will be late July or early August.

The Sabhas credit their customers for the store’s success.

“We are incredibly grateful to the community for giving us the opportunity to be here 35 years,” Jamila Sabha said. “We’ve made so many incredible friends and met so many amazing people.”

She said she wanted to give a last thanks to the Burks, too.

“We are so thankful to Dave and DJ Burk and the vision they had for Old Town.”

This story was originally published July 2, 2024 at 5:22 PM.