La Perla Jewelers to Leave Blue Back Square

After five years on Memorial Rd. in Blue Back Square, Bob La Perla will be moving.

La Perla announced late Tuesday that La Perla Fine Jewelers will be relocating from 95 Memorial Rd. effective March 16. The business will return to West Hartford Center, at a location which will be disclosed as soon as the lease is finalized, he said.

"I am grateful to [Blue Back Square management] for their efforts working with me as a small independent for the past five years," he said. However, a combination of a tough economy, an expensive property, and lower-than-expected foot traffic entered into La Perla's decision to leave Blue Back Square once his lease expired. "It's an extraordinarily unique time in retail business," he said.

The new store will be the same size as the current space, but La Perla said it will be very visible, and he will be able to provide additional amenities such as music on the sidewalk to create ambience.

La Perla Fine Jewelers will be having a "large moving sale" to raise capital for the move, beginning on Feb. 8 and lasting until the doors close on March 16. "We will be very aggressive," he said.

La Perla Fine Jewelers celebrated its 20th anniversary in late 2011. Before moving to Blue Back Square when the development opened, the business was in the same spot at 971 Farmington Ave. for more than 15 years.