Needed repairs force closing of Valley View Antique Mall

BROOKFIELD — J.V. Ferrara admits to being a bit emotional about closing the Valley View Antique Mall, on Warren-Sharon Road, next month.

“It was a tough decision, one we put off making longer than we probably should have,” Ferrara said.

Ferrara, 58, said he held onto retailing inside the building as long as he could because of his memories and those of his mother, Julia, 94.

The building once housed the family business, Valley View Department Store, which Ferrara’s father, Joseph, started in 1959. Joseph Ferrara died in 2001.

Under pressure from national retail chains, the department store closed in 1995. J.V. Ferrara found another use for the building, however, opening the antique mall and a flea market. Business had started to slow in recent years, but it was the condition of the building that finally forced Ferrara’s hand.

He recently informed antique vendors that he would close the building, rather than spend more than $1 million to repair it. A new roof alone would cost $575,000, plus the building has structural problems and needs new lighting, ceiling tile and other items.

The antique mall will close Aug. 31. About 150 vendors rent space and display items for sale. A flea market, which operates inside the building three days a week, will continue until later in the year.

For more on this story, see Wednesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com.