Parable Christian Store in San Luis Obispo moving to Arroyo Grande

The Parable Christian Store in San Luis Obispo plans to relocate to Arroyo Grande at the end of January.

The store will reopen Jan. 22 at its new location in the Five Cities Center, near Trader Joe’s.

Longtime owners Steve and Laurie Potratz cited rising rents in San Luis Obispo coupled with customer demand by South County residents as reasons for the move.

The lease at The Parable’s current location in the Higuera Plaza near the San Luis Obispo Trader Joe’s has come to an end, Steve Potratz said. While the couple looked for other locations in the city, they found the rent prices too high. Rent at the Arroyo Grande location is almost 40 percent less, Steve Potratz said.

Also, many of the store’s customers come from Arroyo Grande, Santa Maria and Santa Barbara, Potratz said. “I think it’s a really good move for us location-wise, just for where our customer base is.”

The new 2,600-square-foot space at 921 Rancho Parkway is smaller than The Parable’s current 4,100-square-foot location. However, the store looks to keep much of the same inventory, Potratz said. Most of the store’s nine employees will be retained.

The Parable will occupy the former site of the Hallmark store. The Mission Animal Hospital, located next door to the current Parable location, plans to expand into the space in February.

The Parable will close its doors in San Luis Obispo on Jan. 18. Merchandise is now on sale to reduce inventory before the move.

The San Luis Obispo Parable store, which declined to disclose its annual sales and profits, is the flagship shop for The Parable Christian Stores franchise. There are 18 Parable Christian Stores nationwide.

This story was originally published January 11, 2016 at 8:17 PM with the headline "Parable Christian Store in San Luis Obispo moving to Arroyo Grande."