THE CLOSURE of upscale clothier Wilkes Bashford's store in Carmel Plaza Monday caught many, including its seven employees and the shopping center's management, by surprise, as did the nighttime loading of merchandise onto trucks Sunday. But spokeswoman Melissa Krantz said that surprise was simply a byproduct of the company's quick decision to close the store which it opened, complete with a full bar, superlative customer service and extravagant price tags, three years ago.

"The decision was made very recently, so it's not one of those situations where there was a great deal of time involved," she said. Although the recession was cited as the reason for closing the store, the move to shut its doors was made in just a few days' time, according to Krantz.

"When company managers made the decision, they also decided to tell the employees Monday morning," she said. "It was done in adherence to whatever is the appropriate way of informing people the store is closed."

Although the dressed mannequins remained in the display windows this week, the store's contents had been loaded onto trucks and taken to the flagship Wilkes Bashford store in San Francisco and its other location in the Stanford Shopping Center, according to Krantz. While the after-dark emptying struck many as unusual, "all that we did was at the close of business on Sunday, we moved the merchandise out."

Wilkes Bashford, the chairman and majority owner of his namesake company, was a frequent visitor to Carmel and was enthusiastic about opening in the location that had been home to Saks Fifth Avenue for decades. But Krantz said the location had been underperforming "for some time."

Don Bentz, senior property manager at Carmel Plaza, said he was surprised to learn of Wilkes Bashford's closing from an associate who saw it on the morning television news and called him.

"They were a permanent tenant," he said. "They had a long-term lease."

He lamented that while some businesses seem to be weathering the ongoing Great Recession, others are sadly unable to persevere. Many Carmel businesses have fallen prey to the down economy.

But the departure means new possibilities for the large anchor spot in the Plaza, which underwent a major facelift a few years ago and began attracting upscale tenants like Tiffany, Louis Vuitton and Bottega Veneta.

"Retail is all about what's new and what's fresh, and we see this as a possibility to bring some sort of new retail concept to Carmel," he said. "When we have the opportunity to release a well positioned space, we see that as an opportunity to bring new energy to the space."