Prima Linens in Santa Rosa’s Montgomery Village is closing after 10 years of business

Prima Linens, a bedding and fine linens shop, is the latest store to close in Santa Rosa’s Montgomery Village.

Owner Pamela Layton attributed her store’s closure at the end of this month after 10 years in business to the ongoing staffing shortage.

Because of a lack of staff, she’s usually working six to seven days a week, which has made it difficult for her to take time off. And finding qualified candidates to ease the shortage has been tough.

“I need a better work-life balance,” she said. “And that’s what it really boils down to.”

Layton said she has considered moving her business elsewhere, but she has yet to find a new location.

In the meantime, she’s going to transform her business into a concierge service where she’ll design the linen aspect of a customer’s home — picking out the right table napkins for dinner or finishing a bedroom with the right throw pillow cases and duvet covers, for example.

Montgomery Village General Manager Brittany Mundarian, in a statement to The Press Democrat, wished Prima Linens the best in its new chapter.

“We would like to thank them for the years of dedication to their community, providing the best in bath, bedding, and decor essentials,” she said in the statement.

Layton’s career has always revolved around retail, with a background in interiors and textiles. She was owner of the former high-end stationary shop Sincerely Yours, also located in Montgomery Village, which she closed about a year and a half ago.

She opened Prima Linens in 2013, five months after another linen store closed in Montgomery Village.

Layton’s shop has since been the local spot for premier bed, bath and table linens and textiles. She said her shop is one of the only stores north of San Francisco that carries fine linens.

“I had my business cards redone with all of my information and my linen companies (that I buy from) are supportive of me so that I can continue to assist my customers,” Layton said.

“A lot of (my clients) still need bedding or they’re making changes to their homes and they need these types of linens.”

She said she’s also open to options outside of working with customers on a one-on-one basis, though for now her plans are to spend more time with family.

You can reach Staff Writer Sara Edwards at 707-521-5487 or sara.edwards@pressdemocrat. com. On Twitter @sedwards380.