Lucy Kelly has brought Coast to Coast Hardware through some tough times in the 20 years she owned it. In 1993, for instance, the store, then located at the corner of Lewis and Main Streets, burned to the ground. Kelly brought the store back, putting it at the west end of town near the high school and developing a loyal customer base.
But Kelly said that her business has been hit by three factors at once this year, and the store can’t survive all three.So last week she began the process of going out of business.
“Everything hit me at once,” she said late Thursday night, after a grueling and packed sale that started early in the morning and went into the evening.
The economy has slowed sales. And Monroe’s new Lowe’s Home Improvement store brought a lot of competition. Those things combined with the fact that Monroe’s business district gravitated to the U.S. 2 corridor and away from her side of town in recent years was too much, she said.
“I could have survived one, maybe two of those,” she said. “But not all three.”
Kelly explored the idea of moving the store to Sultan, but discovered she wouldn’t open in time to make the move financially viable. So she decided instead to close the store’s doors.
Thursday morning, the parking lot was overflowing and the store thronged with bargain hunters, well-wishers and loyal customers.
Many Monroe people say that the business was one of their favorites.
“It’s not where you decided to go for what you needed, it’s where you went for the friendliest service, both you and your dog,” said consultant Collette Reams. “They will all be missed!"
“Coast to Coast here in Monroe represented more than simply a one-stop shop for everything home, it was one of the few, true centers of community life for many of us. It was a place where around every aisle you were guaranteed a helping hand, and many times that helpfulness was offered by a neighbor, not just an employee,” said Monroe resident Eiron Cudaback. “My son loved to go there to look at the ornamental water features, smell the beautiful roses, and hope to pet a friendly dog in the back of some neighborly contractor’s pick-up. I loved to go there because it always felt like I was among family, a family as diverse in age, interest, and experience as any great family should be.”
The business was a family, said Kelly. One of her 20 employees was with her since the day she bought the business. She worries mostly about what will happen to them, she said.
“I’m hoping some really good opportunities are presented to them,” she said. “They will be an asset to anyone fortunate enough to hire them.”
The going-out-of-business sale will continue for several weeks, said Kelly. After that, she doesn’t know what she will do.
“I’m too young to retire,” she said.
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