Pandemonium closes doors after three good years in downtown

Vintage clothing boutique moves out; 'Sharper Image of the communications industry' moves in

By Cecily Barnes

Downtown Campbell's recycled, vintage clothing store Pandemonium has packed its bags and headed for The Alameda in San Jose. Owner Sandi Feddema teamed up with another vintage shop, Planet Caravan, to form Planet One, a much larger version of her former shop. The new location, one block west of the San Jose Arena, is nearly nine times bigger than the previous storefront on E. Campbell Avenue.

"It's 9,000 square feet and we put in a coffee bar, and we have records and furniture," Feddema says.

Feddema, who says she cleared the last of her stuff from the old shop on Friday, talks fondly of her three years in Campbell.

"All the merchants and all of our neighbors were absolutely wonderful," she says.

A sign posted in the window of Pandemonium for a few days after its closing alerted passersby to another of Feddema's feelings about Campbell--how the town seems to be changing. When asked about the sign, Feddema elaborates.

"It's no secret because of the note in our window that we don't like the direction that Campbell is going," Feddema says. "If Starbucks moves in, or there's rumors of the Gap or Radio Shack, that just takes away all the individuality and beauty of the town. I wouldn't want to be a part of that."

Phone Supplements Incorporated, a retail and mass distributor of Plantronics headsets and other communications products, will be moving into Pandemonium's old location by the beginning of August. The Anaheim-based company, which sells most of its products through corporate phone sales, is transitioning into a more retail-focused company.

"There's point-of-sale spots where people can walk in at all of our stores, but this is going to be more retail oriented," said Phone Supplements president Steve Willis. "We are redirecting our focus towards a more downtown, retail-oriented focus, and we're really interested in being a part of downtown Campbell."

Besides Plantronics headsets, Phone Supplements sells call conferencing units, music on-hold units, cellular accessories and other high-grade communications products.

"We're more like a Sharper Image of the communications industry," Willis said.

Because of its specialty products and niche market, Willis admits that Phone Supplements will likely be a low foot-traffic retail store.

Some city officials and local merchants say they were somewhat wary of this factor.

"At first I wasn't too excited about it but then I talked to Bob Sneed [publisher of the Downtown Campbell Business Association newsletter] and we were talking about how one of the unique things about a downtown is how it has a lot of uses," said Geoff Bradley, redevelopment coordinator with Campbell's Redevelopment Agency.

Brian Robertson, who owns Brian's Custom Framing on East Campbell Avenue, said he had been hoping for some sort of specialty food shop.

"I was kind of hoping to get a boulangerie, you know a bread shop or an ice cream parlor," he said. "It seems like all successful downtowns have an ice cream parlor."

Cities however, cannot discriminate among different retail uses. As long as the business fits the zoning requirements, it's up to the property owner's choice as to whom they lease their building.

"We look to promote successful retail and restaurant businesses. Certainly if this is a retail business with a successful product to sell we're excited to have them here," said Kirk Heinrichs, manager of the Campbell Redevelopment Agency.

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