Berkeley-based Body Time, one of the Bay Area’s first and oldest natural beauty products stores, is shutting its last two brick-and-mortar spaces and closing up its online operations soon.
The company, which opened in 1970 as The Body Shop and quickly gained a following, is in the process of selling off its inventory and will likely close its stores in downtown Walnut Creek and Berkeley by the end of the week.
“Our rents have almost doubled and we weren’t able to negotiate our lease,” the company said on its Facebook page. “This was a big surprise for us as well as our many loyal customers. The social media will continue until the end of the month. Thank you.”
The company did not respond to calls or email requests.
It indicated in a Facebook postdated last week that it would close on April 22, but the Walnut Creek store remained open late Tuesday with some product left on the shelves and advertised with discounts up to 50 percent. An employee said operating hours this week are 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Body Time’s website said it was not accepting any new orders this week but is focused on shipping orders that have already been made.
The company has a long history in the Bay Area. Starting out as the original The Body Shop 48 years ago in Berkeley, it opened at a time when artisan soaps and custom skin care products were relatively rare. It struck a chord with customers, who could make original perfumes or have lotions matched with the fragrance they wanted.
In 1992, the company sold the Body Shop name to a London skin care company and renamed its skin care stores Body Time. It closed some of its brick-and-mortar stores in recent years, including one on Telegraph Ave. and one on College Ave.
