It's been a long 14 months for business owners near the under-construction intersection of Pyramid and McCarran in Sparks. A shop nearby is closing partially because of the impact it is having.
The ‘His Word, a Parable Christian Store’ has been a part of the Sparks community for over 35 years and this weekend, they are closing the book on a long-time legacy.
“In 1980 my mom and a business partner opened it,” said owner Deidre Pagni, manager and owner. “They started out on Rock Boulevard and moved right by Sparks High."
In 2012 they came to the shopping center near the now messy and under-construction Pyramid and McCarran. There's no doubt in Deidre's mind the nearly two-year project is one of the reasons they've seen a 25% slash in business.
“RTC had their plan in place and didn't seem to want to modify it at all to be accommodating.”
Her main beef is the several month closure of the entrance closest to her store. It's open now, but it's something RTC says they tried to address by keeping the other entrance open.
"Pavement work dictates certain entrances need to be closed at time," said Joe Harrington, Public Information Officer for the Regional Transportation Commission. “But we're committed to keeping at least one entrance to this business plaza at all times.”
Pagni doesn't solely blame the construction for the closure. Online sales and a hurting Christian retail industry have been challenging.
“Family Christian Stores, which is a huge chain that had over 200 stores, they closed, went bankrupt,” Pagni explained.
The construction will hopefully be done by the end of the year, much too long for "His Word" to keep believing for now.
“There's always a beginning and an end to everything. Sparks has been a great home for us. It's just sad to have the main store have to close.”
The store closes on Saturday and is discounting all of their merchandise. But the "His Word" location near Target in south Reno will remain open. The owners have no plans to lay off any employees.
