Ming Quong, a much loved small store in Walnut Creek, California, has closed permanently after more than fifty years in operation.
The store, whose name means Radiant Light, was originally launched as a coffee shop in 1969. At the time, Walnut Creek was a sleep East Bay town surrounded by agriculture.
Since that time, much has changed. Downtown has transformed with the addition of Broadway Plaza and many location and national stores, and Ming Quong changed too, from its coffee shop roots in a family owned store selling eclectic jewelry, ephemera and other items.
Now, though, that aspect of the Ming Quong story has come to an end. In this case, the story is a bit happier than for other Walnut Creek, California stores like Casper’s, which closed due to high rents.
The closure of Ming Quong does not appear to be economically motivated. The owner of Ming Quong told CBS that she was closing the store in order to retire and finally catch up on sleep. Her son plans to continue the store’s legacy with an online version at https://mingquong.com/
