What stores have closed in your neighborhood?

[tankdude]

Originally Posted by claremarie

There are some people who value time over money, and they'd rather pay a few extra dollars at McLean Hardware than drive miles away to Home Depot and deal with the employees who know nothing about hardware.
That's why stores such as McLean Hardware stay in business.

I'm sure there are some people who want that niche, but nice businesses have it tough.

And, those who "value time over money" have someone else do it for them.

[tankdude]

Originally Posted by Denton56

Stores come and go, what people want changes. Stores in Vienna have changed tremendously over the last 25 years. So have houses. And cars. And clothes. Things change. Always. Except for the Vienna Inn.

Ownership of the Vienna Inn has changed....I believe.

[Henry's Mom]

I live in Old Town Alexandria and it has struck me how much office space there is available for rental, plus how many storefronts are empty.

[car54]

Originally Posted by Henry's Mom

I live in Old Town Alexandria and it has struck me how much office space there is available for rental, plus how many storefronts are empty.

I don't think we've seen anything yet....IMO, commercial real estate will be the next big bust. There are just way too many stores.

I read that the outfit that owns Tyson's Galleria and Landmark are teetering on bankruptcy. And I hope we (taxpayers) we don't end up bailing those high-flyers out too!

[Skapov]

Originally Posted by car54

Fischer's Hardware in Springfield is the same way....they have old plumbers running the plumbing dept. and old electricians running the electrical dept., and so on. They do everything but go home with you and do the repair! They carry lots of stuff you'll never see at the Big Boxes....like parts for obsolete plumbing and lighting fixtures...and if it isn't in stock they'll get it for you, quick. They have some amazing hardware catalogs to order from.

I wouldn't go there for tools, but if I was there and needed a tool I didn't have to complete a repair....no way I'd drive miles and fight the masses at WallyWorld to save 7 bucks, no way. Plus, I like to support unique businesses like Fischers, and have for well over 40 years now. I still miss the old Star Supply in Annandale! LOL

I just read that the Fischer family has sold the business after 50 odd years....I sure hope the new folks don't change NUTHIN!

I also heard great things about Fischer's Hardware, from my realtor when we bought our home in Burke. I'm gonna have to check that place out!

[normie]

Dulles Town Center actually has a fairly large store that just opened. A cooking school/kitchen store next to Macys.

DTC lost Sharper Image and Bombay when those chains went belly up. Some smaller stores that had been on the Nordstrom wing moved into their locations. As a result, the second floor of the Nordstrom wing looks pretty empty. I hope some new stores move in that wing soon. But other than that, DTC looks very healthy.

[22150]

Fischer's is fantastic. As a clueless young homeowner I once stopped in on the way home from work to get a replacement toilet flapper. Didn't know what kind I needed (didn't know there were different kinds) but the employee in the plumbing section did. We lived near by and he knew what type of flappers the original toilets in those houses needed.

I also once walked in with a single broken screw to my headboard handed it to an employee and walked out with a replacement 5 minutes and about $.05 later.

[KathyR]

In Bristow, at the Bristow Center both the California Tortilla and some video game resale store closed on the same strip. The video game store had only been open two months.

[nwlv]

What year did Fischer's burn? was it 1969 or 1970?

[normie]

By the way, Home Depot Expo Center in Fairfax is closing at the end of March. They have some pretty amazing stuff on sale there (although most of it's so high end it's still way too expensive for me). All kinds of samples are on sale for $10-15 dollars. Creative people can find uses for this stuff. My daughter made a cool side table from a tile sample. Cost her $20 ($5 for some molding to finish the sides and a base). Looks great, and the tile pieces are gorgeous--in former days they sold for $75 a foot.