Chroma Glass Designs, the stained glass emporium and art gallery that helped start Bixby Knolls’ First Fridays Long Beach artwalks, will mark its last First Friday on Feb. 1.

That’s this Friday.

Owner Krista Leaders says the store/art gallery–which offers stained glass supplies, service, and custom designs–just hasn’t generated enough business to stay open.

“It’s a tough area, because people want things to do, but there’s not enough to keep them coming day-to-day,” Leaders said of her store, which moved to 4242 Atlantic Avenue about two years ago from a location at Orange Avenue and Wardlow Road. “Those of us that are a little different or unique in our stores–they love the idea, but they don’t love it every day.”

Worse, Leaders–who helped start the artwalks in November 2006–fears she won’t be the last shopkeeper to shut her doors in 2008.

“It’s a tough area, period,” she said. “Probably in the last six months, 11 businesses have either gone out of business or there are rumblings” that they might.

Leaders plans to continue her stained glass work, but at home in California Heights.

Her final offering to First Fridays will be hosting an artists reception at Chroma this Friday from 7-10 p.m., for painter Carol Hendriks and multi-media artist Dawn Morishige.

Check it out.

Tags: bixby knolls, California, California Heights, Carol Hendriks, Chroma Glass Designs, Dawn Morishige, First Fridays Long Beach, Krista Leaders, Long Beach, Southern California, The District Weekly, Theo Douglas