After more than two decades of selling tuxedos, suits and other formal wear to the Bird Rock community, A Better Deal is closing its doors for good.
Janet Klein — who owns and runs the store with her husband, Jerry — said closing shop wasn’t a decision they made on their own. According to her, they were forced to close after the building sold. The mixed-use office and retail space, often referred to as the “Piano Building,” sold for $2.9 million in December 2018 according to The Franco Realty Group, who represented the buyer and the seller.
“The building was purchased, and they have other plans,” she said. “And we can’t move forward at another location. It would be impossible to at this point in Jerry and my’s life.”
For 22 years, Jerry Klein served as the face of A Better Deal, often standing in the store’s showroom talking to customers while Janet handled things behind the scenes. Three years ago, doctors diagnosed Jerry with Alzheimer’s disease, and Janet has had to take over most of the responsibility.
“Jerry drew a lot of people in,” Janet recalled. “He was a social butterfly. Everybody loved Jerry. They called him the mayor of Bird Rock.”
These days, Jerry is still at the store with Janet, greeting customers, telling them the news of their closing and adding that “he’s ready for a day off.”
“It’s a bittersweet situation,” Janet said.
Janet and Jerry have until Aug. 31 to move out of the building. They’re currently trying to sell as much inventory as possible, offering 20-75% off all merchandise. Whatever they can’t sell, they’ll donate, and after that, Janet said she’ll be looking for work in addition to caretaking for her husband.
“It’s not retirement, unfortunately,” she said, adding that she’s not sure if she’ll look for similar work.
Jerry started in the suit and tuxedo industry in the 1970s in Chicago, and Janet later joined him. They opened A Better Deal on 369 Bird Rock Ave., in 1997 and have been a staple in the community ever since.
“I’ve had customers coming in here crying,” she said. “We’ve been very successful. Our Yelp reviews are off the charts, and the majority of our customers are referrals and repeats. We’ve had a lot of good years here.”
