GreatEntertaining.com Shutting Doors

San Francisco-based Great Entertaining Inc. will be turning out the lights as
the online marketplace “for entertaining trends and ideas, quality products,
services and party supplies” packs it in.

A letter from Christy Ross, founder, president and CEO of the company, blames
market conditions for the business failure. “We are saddened that we won’t be
able to continue to help and serve you,” she wrote. The site will continue to
take orders through Jan. 29.

“We understand that with the recent success of our clearance sales, we have
slipped from our usually high standards of order fulfillment and customer
service,” the letter on the site says. “However, we felt it best for our
loyal customers to receive the benefits of deep discounting rather than the
liquidators.”

The operation, founded in May 1999, was backed by venture capital firms such
as Benchmark Capital and Technology Crossover Ventures, and Great
Entertaining says on its Web site that it has secured over $35 million in
funding to date. The number of jobs lost was not immediately available.