The Store Ltd will wind down operations and eventually close permanently following the death of founder Betty Cooke on Tuesday.
The landlord for Cooke’s store in The Village of Cross Keys posted an Instagram message indicating that the staff is preparing to close the store. The message did not give a firm closing date.
“It is with deepest sadness that we share with you that the legendary Betty Cooke passed peacefully yesterday, at the age of 100,” the message from crosskeysbaltimore said in part.
“Starting tomorrow, the remaining pieces of Betty’s work, as well as all of the merchandise at The Store Ltd, will be available for purchase as her team begins to wind down operations. Please be thoughtful to them, as they will be going through a difficult time themselves.
“Our most sincere condolences go out to all who loved and admired our dear Betty,” the message continued. “She will be missed and Cross Keys will never be the same without her.”
Cooke, a celebrated artist known for her jewelry designs, opened The Store Ltd at Cross Keys in 1965 with her husband, William Steinmetz, who died in 2016. The business was one of the original tenants in the retail center at 5100 Falls Road and has remained in the same spot for nearly 60 years. Cooke continued to come to the store and make jewelry until her death, and the store and retail center celebrated her 100th birthday on May 5 by giving her a giant card signed by friends and customers.
In addition to Betty Cooke jewelry, The Store Ltd features clothing, handbags, accessories, home décor and other items. At the store on Thursday, customers were told that pieces of jewelry designed and made by Cooke are not currently available for purchase because they’re part of her estate, but other merchandise is for sale. Prices have not been marked down. The store is open daily except Sunday.
Arsh Mirmiran, a principal of Caves Valley Partners, owner of The Village of Cross Keys, wrote the message from crosskeysbaltimore that was posted on Instagram. He said store manager Michael Ruddie called him to tell him that Cooke had passed away on Tuesday and to give notice that The Store Ltd would be closing permanently.
Ruddie, the store manager and one of the buyers for the past 20 years, said the store cannot continue without its founder because it was so embued with her signature style. “If Betty didn’t like it, it wasn’t in the store,” he said.
Mirmiran said there is no firm closing date because he is giving the staffers the time they need to liquidate the inventory and close the business. He said the store did not have a long-term lease and was operating on a month-to-month basis.
“Betty didn’t have a succession plan, and she has no living offspring and there is no one at the store who was groomed to take it over,” he said.
Mirmiran said he knew his company was taking a risk by not signing the tenant to a long-term lease, but he knew how much Cooke meant to Cross Keys and wanted to be respectful of her and her legacy.
From the day Caves Valley took ownership of the retail center four years ago, Mirmiran said, he wanted never to bring up the subject of a lease or “put any stress on Betty” or do anything that might take away “a second of her life,” and he asked others at Caves Valley to take the same posture.
“She’s more important than any of us” and her work was significant not only in Baltimore but nationally, he said. “They don’t make people like that anymore. That was the philosophy our team had.”
For now, he said of the business, “we’re going to let them be there as long as they need…We’re not in any rush to get them out of there…As long as they need to be in there and running the place, they’re welcome.”
After that, “we’re going to have to start from scratch and figure out what the next move is as far as the store space is concerned.”
The Store Ltd occupies approximately 3,800 to 4,000 square feet at Cross Keys. Mirmiran said he anticipates it will be filled with one or two retailers. He said Caves Valley recently finalized its leasing program for food-related tenants and that the space occupied by The Store Ltd most likely would go to non-food merchants.
Mirmiran said Cooke came to the store “less and less” frequently over the last few weeks but still came in as often as she could. He expressed optimism that Caves Valley Partners will be able to find just the right tenants.
“That store had a good 60-year run,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of good karma with that space.”
