mom-and-pop: April 2009 Archives

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.)

A-Boy Supply, a plumbing and hardware retailer in and around Portland, Washington, is closing four of its six locations in June. The company cites general profitability concerns as the driver of the closings. A-Boy has been in business since 1960 and once had as many as nine locations.

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 several notable stores with long histories:

• In Westchester County, New York, Chappaqua's Second Story bookstore is closing after 37 years in business. Its owner, a former president of a national booksellers' association, is retiring and not selling the business. Second Story counts Bill and Hillary Clinton among its patrons.
• In the Denver suburbs, Andrisen Morton is closing its women's store after 30 years in business. Its men's outlet remains open, but the women's business has been declining since the recession picked up steam.
• And if you're trying to practice your way to Carnegie Hall, Joseph Patelson won't be able to help you anymore. The longtime sheet-music retailer is closing its doors after six decades in business.
  

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 regional chains with long histories:

• In Charleston, Luden's is closing its doors. As its website states, "established in 1867 as a ship's chandler, J.J.W. Luden's is the oldest retail establishment in Charleston." Its owners cited an expiring lease as the main factor in the decision to close, along with economic conditions. (Timely Demise finds this odd--Luden's surely endured many other expired leases and tough years over the past 142 years.)
• Specialty retailer The End Result in State College, Pa. is closing after 38 years. Downtown State College has seen numerous retailers depart in recent months, like many town centers, although its economy is buoyed somewhat by Penn State students.

If only tenure existed for textile companies: After 120 years as a community staple in Pennsylvania's Columbia County, Bloomsburg Mills is closing its doors on May 31st, hurt by economic forces and imports. Bloomsburg Mills started as a silk weaver in 1889. It has been a high-quality manufacturer of fabrics used by a variety of industries now acquired elsewhere.