The economic downturn is hitting local stores especially hard. Saddest among those affected are the decades-old establishments suddenly facing bankruptcy or liquidation. Recent news affects a pair of stores with particularly long histories:
- Up in Troy, N.Y., residents are girding for life without a hardware store, as Trojan Hardware is closing up shop. Trojan, the last hardware store in town, has been operating since 1915 and occupied a site that has sold hardware since the Civil War.
- And in Dallas, Siegel's liquor store, which has touted a famous neon sign since the 1950s, is closing after 50 years in business. (Timely Demise notes with a smirk that the sign seems to be more lamented than the store itself.)
