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December 17, 2004/Tevet 5 5765, Vol. 57, No.16
Judaica shop moves after 18 years
STEPHANIE N. HENSCHEL
Staff Writer
Israel Connection will close its doors Dec. 24 after 18 years in its Seventh Street location in Phoenix.
Terry Epcar, who owns both Israel Connection and The Jewish Quarter of Scottsdale with wife Geri, said the shop isn't so much closing as moving. To prepare for the move, Epcar has been expanding their Scottsdale store so that it can hold two-thirds more inventory.
According to Epcar, it's not the first time the Judaica shop has moved - this is the seventh move in 25 years.
"It's not that we haven't moved before," he said. The list of previous locations includes stores in Phoenix and Mesa.
"The neighborhood is changing," said Geri Epcar. "We have to go where the customers are."
Terry Epcar hopes to move back into the East Valley. He said there was a possible location at Elliot and Priest roads, but the deal fell through.
After the holidays, probably in the spring, the Epcars will begin looking for locations.
The Epcars' desire to move to the East Valley is indicative of the growth of the Jewish community to that area.
"There's always been a shift in the Jewish population," said Fred Zeidman, assistant executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix. In the '50s and '60s, the shift was focused on the area south of McDowell Road, whereas in the '70s and '80s, the shift moved to the Camelback Road/Bethany Home Road area. According to the 2002 Greater Phoenix Jewish Community Study released by the federation, 41 percent of all Jewish households reside in the Northeast Valley, which includes Scottsdale and Paradise Valley - the highest percentage of Jewish households anywhere in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Sixteen percent live in the Tri-City area, which includes Chandler, Mesa, Tempe, Ahwatukee and Gilbert.
"I think what we're seeing is the whole metropolitan community is growing," Zeidman said. "It's just that some areas are growing faster than others."
"There is certainly an influx of new people to the community," said Ilene Blau, executive director of the East Valley JCC. "The whole area is in a growth mode."
As East Valley synagogues expand - Blau noted that Chabad of the East Valley is looking for a permanent location, Temple Emanuel of Tempe wants to expand, and the JCC itself is moving to a new building in August - there is a need for more organizations to serve the area.
With that in mind, Blau said Israel Connection would be warmly welcomed to the community.
"The more Jewish organizations and opportunities there are to add to the community, the better," she said. "It only enhances the cultural atmosphere.
"I'd love to have them located near the JCC," she said.
The Jewish Quarter of Scottsdale is located at 10701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Call 480-905-5202.
Contact the writer here
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