At least four downtown Conway merchants — including two that have been in business for a combined 153 years — closed their doors last month, although at least one space will be filled soon.
Kordsmeier Furniture & Appliances first opened in Morrilton when Calvin Coolidge was president; Dayer Jewelers got its start in Conway about the time Elvis Presley’s career was taking off.
Grand on Oak, a women’s clothing store that opened in 2013, closed this week, but Vesta’s is moving in, said Kim Williams, director of the Conway Downtown Partnership.
Blue Ribbon Antiques and Flirty Chick, both on Oak Street, have closed, too. Williams said she has talked with someone interested in taking over the Flirty Chick space and possibly buying the name.
Williams said that although the number of businesses closing at almost the same time is unusual, she doesn’t expect the buildings to stay vacant.
“We’ve had other things go out of business, and we’ve always been fortunate enough that we’ve been able to recoup and come back stronger,” Williams said.
The difference is that Dayer Jewelers and Kordsmeier Furniture have been fixtures in downtown Conway for decades, she said.
“This is history,” said Steve Dayer, who co-owned Dayer Jewelers on Front Street with his brother Tommy.
Steve was doing a few odds and ends on Monday, the day before the official closing. The store held a sale, and it did well, he said. “The whole jewelry store — that’s all I’ve got left,” he said, holding a plastic bag of jewelry and tungsten.
His parents, Charles and Helen Dayer, started the business in 1955 in another location on Front Street. The jewelry store opened in the building at 804 Front St. about 58 years ago, he said. Steve said he’s worked in the business 38 years; Tommy was with him for 36 of those.
“We’ve always enjoyed downtown; that’s why we’ve stayed in the same location,” Steve Dayer said.
The decision to close this year was a combination of illness, the internet “and just changing times,” he said.
“People order a lot of stuff online,” he said. “I don’t see where a small business can do anything about it.”
That’s not to say the store didn’t have loyal customers.
“I’ll bet I’ve had 200, 300 people come by” or leave Facebook messages, Dayer said, tears coming to his eyes.
Dayer also pointed out the loyalty of longtime employee Connie Allison, who worked there 43 years.
On Monday, Dayer said the last detail before turning in the keys was to have the alarm disconnected. Rick Howell of Little Rock, an employee of Guard Tronic, has been the jewelry store’s technician for 23 years.
“You form a relationship,” Dayer said.
Howell said, “You always value all your customers, but you can’t help it. You have your favorites. [The Dayers have] always been one of my favorites.”
Dayer said he is considering opening a repair shop only in another downtown Conway location, but he hasn’t made a definite decision.
“I’ve had so many people wanting me to do something. It’s a little overwhelming and emotional,” he said.
Ray Kordsmeier Jr. said Kordsmeier Furniture is closing after 92 years in his family, and it has had a presence in downtown Conway since 1949. Since 1956, it has occupied 20,000 square feet in two buildings at Oak and Chestnut streets. The buildings have a mezzanine between the first and third levels.
Kordsmeier said his grandfather, John Kordsmeier, started a furniture store in Morrilton in 1924. Ray Kordsmeier’s father, Raymond, opened the Conway store. At one time, Kordsmeier
brothers and cousins owned furniture stores in Morrilton, Conway, Russellville and Little Rock at the same time.
“It allowed them to get some buying power and things like that,” Ray Kordsmeier said.
The 65-year-old said he made the decision to close now because of timing and his age.
“Retail is really tough. Our type of business is a seven-days-a-week job, and holidays.” After hours, there is paperwork to finish, he added.
“I had such a great staff, and people were starting to retire, and I’m sitting there thinking, you know, do I want to go to the trouble of hiring and training new people and then in a few years retire?” Kordsmeier said. “I was planning to work till 70. This seemed to be the right time.”
His sister, Dee Woodrum, 68, of Conway said she had worked at the furniture store since seventh grade — 56 years.
“I hate it. That’s the last of an era; there won’t be any more. That’s sad. This is the last to go.”
Kordsmeier said he expects someone to fill the space.
“I don’t have a tenant yet, but I’ve been blessed. There are a number of people who would like to do something with the property,” he said.
Williams said she has been contacted by a couple of people who have looked at the Kordsmeier building to put in a restaurant and apartments.
“That generational retail is going away,” she said.
Kordsmeier said he thinks downtown will continue to evolve.
“I think it’s going to change. I think you’ll see more dot-com industry downtown and technology offices downtown,” he said.
Williams said it’s getting more challenging for retail businesses.
“With retail — and especially retail in this day and age — it’s even tougher,” Williams said. “You have to be very good at what you do. The model of just opening up your doors and hoping people come is done.”
She also mentioned retailers’ hours as a factor in success or failure — to accommodate people who work.
“You don’t have to open at 10; open at 11 and stay open till 7,” she said.
The time commitment is one reason owner Sena Crafton said she decided it was time to close Grand on Oak. She said she has three grandchildren and wants to spend more time with them. Owning a boutique makes that hard.
“It is so time-consuming,”
Crafton said, echoing Kordsmeier’s comments. “It’s six, seven days a week.”
In 2014, Crafton helped spearhead a petition and got 44 signatures to move Toad Suck Daze from downtown Conway to the Conway Expo Center and Fairgrounds. She and other merchants said the three-day festival significantly hurt their revenue.
A compromise was worked out with the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce, and festival vendors were rearranged and streets left open longer to allow more shopping time.
“[The chamber] fixed everything, and it was wonderful,” Crafton said.
She said she started selling real estate in June, but she will miss retail.
“I’ve absolutely loved every minute of it. I can honestly say every customer I have is great. I’ve never had a bad customer
— that’s the hardest part,” Crafton said.
She said she is happy that Vesta’s is taking over the space.
“It’s perfect for them. They carry a lot of the same brands I carry,” she said. Vesta’s also has a location in Little Rock.
Williams said Vesta’s is supposed to be open by March 1.
She said downtown has seen new tenants in the past few months, too, including Fat Daddy’s Bar-B-Que, which took almost 8,000 square feet at 1004 Oak St., and H2:4 Outdoors at 802 Front St.
Williams said that despite the significant closures, downtown Conway is thriving.
“We have a true night life; we have restaurants. We have foot traffic we’ve never had,” Williams said.
“It’s a lot stronger than it used to be. We’ve got such a good reputation now of being a destination in central Arkansas. People are excited to see what’s next,” she said.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.