Seven Businesses That Did Not Survive 2009

Business: Kimberly’s Hallmark Shop, a Warren, Mich., greeting card and home store. Opened: 1970. Closed: March.

At its peak: In 2000, the store brought in about $780,000 at its mall location across the street from the G.M. Technical Center, the car maker’s primary engineering operation.

What went wrong: G.M. layoffs reduced the Technical Center staff from a peak of more than 20,000 to some 12,000. After last year’s gas spike and credit market collapse, businesses abandoned the mall until only four remained. “Even the dollar store closed,” said Hallmark’s owner, John Greer, 50. “It was a ghost town.” With 2009 sales projected to hit only $400,000, Mr. Greer decided to shut down in March.

Looking back: A retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who bought the store in 2004, Mr. Greer says that if he’d been spending more time thinking about the future he would have moved to a new location. “I was doing marketing and sales, but you get so caught up you don’t pay attention to your growth strategy,” he said. Mr. Greer has founded Mind Over Management, a consulting firm aimed at helping companies carry out long-term strategies.

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Business: Concierge at Large, a La Mesa, Calif., concierge outsourcer. Opened: 1997. Closed: August.

At its peak: One of the first companies to offer concierge outsourcing to residential and corporate clients, its revenue peaked at $2.5 million in 2007. By 2008, the owner, Cynthia Adkins, thinks, it was the longest operating luxury concierge service in the United States.

What went wrong: Corporate clients began cutting perks, and concierge services were one of the first. “This April, a corporate client of nine years gave us 30 days’ notice,” said Ms. Adkins. “They were crying when they called. I thought I could cut down costs to meet their budget. I didn’t think they’d take it out of the budget.” Revenue projected for 2009 fell to $80,000.

Looking back: In retrospect, Ms. Adkins believes she should have sold the business. “I would have loved to move on when it was doing well,” said Ms. Adkins, 50. “I could have parlayed it into something better. But when random calls came interested in me or the company, I wasn’t prepared.” Today, Ms. Adkins is selling CORE, a “concierge in a box” set-up and training system based on her business.