By Elizabeth Ridgeway

Even as the city of Los Altos struggles to bring retail into the downtown’s empty storefronts, two of its oldest retail establishments have thrown in the towel.

Six months ago, Gregg’s-Boucher’s Appliances closed its doors after 60 years. Now the Los Altos Coffee Shop plans to close Jan. 1 after 27 years.

High rents and the prospect of further increases led Jeanne and Brian Whitlock to relocate the Second Street diner to Rancho Shopping Center.

“You make money here, but I’m thinking about my future,” Brian said. “I get a lot of business, but the overhead is excessive. How much am I supposed to charge for my bacon and eggs?”

Despite competition from the nearby Original Pancake House and The Village Pantry, there was plenty of business to go around, Brian said.

But the triple net rent, which included paying for taxes, insurance and building maintenance, at the Second Street location lost appeal in comparison to Rancho’s lower rents.

“I look at it as a win-win situation. My customers are very loyal,” Brian said. “Hopefully they won’t mind driving a mile and a half down the road.”

He hopes to retain his old customers and benefit from the weekend shopping and church-going crowd at Rancho. The cost of renovating the new location will be recouped by the lower rent at Rancho, he said. The larger space, formerly Clarke’s Charcoal Broiler, offers outdoor seating when the coffee shop’s weekend crowd overflows.

Brian would like the downtown space to go to a new restaurateur. “A new owner could come in, turn on the grill and have everything ready to go,” he said.