FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): A down period, financially, for Vera Bradley.

The Fort Wayne-based luggage and handbag retailer reported a first quarter loss of $4-million, a far cry from the net gain of $2.4-million at the same time last year.

CEO Robert Wallstrom tells Inside Indiana Business some challenges they’ve seen at retail could lead to the company closing up to 15 under-performing stores.

However, he adds that sales trends in April were better than they were in February and March, and the company will continue focusing on increasing its number of customers.