House of Humor looking for new location after losing Redwood City lease

House of Humor has remained in the same location for the last 31 years, surviving the internet boom, economic busts, COVID-19, seasonal competition from larger Halloween box stores and even after Greenbaum retired about 15 years ago. 

He passed the torch over to his son Mark Greenbaum who upheld the belief of face-to-face customer interactions. To this day, the store still does not sell items online.  

“It’s my entire life, my entire career. It’s everything that I know. It’s part of my family’s history and part of the community,” Mark Greenbaum said.

But things are about to change for the storefront. A breakdown in lease negotiations is forcing the store to quickly close and relocate. Without specifying figures, Mark Greenbaum said he’s being asked to pay back a significant amount in rent. 

During the pandemic, when the party-supply store experienced a major drop in sales, Mark Greenbaum said he and his landlord negotiated a deal that allowed the shop owner to pay half rent for a period of time. Mark Greenbaum said repaying the decreased rent was never part of the deal, however, his landlord will not extend a new lease without repayment. 

“I would love to stay in this location but I think the damages he’s asking for make it impossible to negotiate and stay here. At this point, we’re just too far apart but I wouldn’t say no to negotiating,” Mark Greenbaum said. 

Lucas Araujo has managed House of Humor for the last year after moving to the area from Brazil. He picked up the role after only a week on the job and has loved the work every day since.  

Businesses like House of Humor mean something to the communities they are in, Araujo said. Since a sign announcing the closure and a 50% sale of all items went up, customers have flooded the space to snag a unique find and share their disappointment in seeing the shop go. 

“This kind of business you don’t find much nowadays. Every year stores like this are closing,” Araujo said. “I love this place. It makes me happy working here and now I’m sad.”

The outpouring of support has been heartening, Araujo and Mark Greenbaum said. But the business isn’t dead yet. 

What’s left of the shop’s inventory will be placed in storage while Mark Greenbaum searches for a new location somewhere on the Peninsula but ideally in Redwood City. His hope is to have a new storefront open by this summer. House of Humor will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. though Feb. 28.

“I’m actually surprised at the outpouring of emotion from all of our customers and the generations here. It’s affecting the community more than I thought it would. It’s a wonderful feeling but, at the same time, it’s so sad being forced out. It’s out of my hands,” Mark Greenbaum said. “It’s not the end of the road. … We’ll be the same as we’ve been just in a new better location.”