BUSINESS : Dwindling Lake Tourism Prompts Store Closure

Crystal Lake’s rustic general store is going out of business after Labor Day weekend because visitors to the Angeles National Forest recreation area have slowed to a trickle, said Armand Denis, the store’s co-owner.

In October, 1993, budget cuts forced U.S. Forest Service officials to close Crystal Lake’s campground and limit the 800-acre recreation grounds to weekend use. Crystal Lake Recreation Area, 26 miles north of Azusa, once drew crowds of more than 2,000 people on busy days to its 11 trails, rock-work amphitheater and natural lake stocked with rainbow trout.

Before the cutbacks, Denis and his brother barely broke even on the store, which sells firewood, hamburgers, holders for marshmallow roasting and other items. Since then, the store has been in the red.

“I just can’t keep taking money from my pocket, trying to keep the store alive,” said Denis, 67, who lives in a cabin behind the store.

Denis and his twin brother, David, who bought the store in 1983, have invested more than $300,000 in the business, he said. The two will try to sell the store, which was built in 1934, but Denis said he is not optimistic that anyone will want to buy a money-losing venture.

When the campground was open, campers used to rush into Denis’ store for last-minute marshmallows and then sometimes invite him to dinner. Over the years, he has kept in touch with regular campers and has watched young visitors from 10 years ago return to the store with their own children.

Denis does not know what he will do now.

“I get calls from people all the time, wanting to come out and camp,” he said. “I just think it’s a complete travesty.”