It’s been said many times that all good things always come to an end. For the JC Penney location in the D&F Plaza that day came recently. The end marked a sad day for the many JC Penney shoppers in northern Chautauqua County. Talking with folks and reading comments in the OBSERVER I have fully come to understand that the experience was like the death of a loved one.

I’ve never been very sentimental about retailers going out of business or closing stores probably because after spending most of my working life in retail my major concern was how the closing would affect my own business and who might come into the market to replace the closed store.

However, when JC Penney closed I was able to understand how people felt about its closing. My family was a JC Penney family literally from head to foot. For all of our years in Chautauqua County when my wife and I or one of the kids needed good quality shoes or wearing apparel at a reasonable price we went to Penneys in the Plaza.

Prior to our move to Chautauqua County my wife had worked at the JC Penney Eastern Hills store and after our move she continued working for a number of years at the plaza store. I got to know some of the store employees well over the years. Some stayed for many years or were already working there when I came to the area and were still there when the store closed. They, like the great employees who worked with me, are fine examples of this area’s work ethic and of people who take pride in doing a job well.

One of the first people I met in this area was Penneys then manager Frank Hoffman who was the Plaza Association president at the time. Accompanied by the then patriarch of area retailers and Book Nook owner Phil Pelletier they both introduced me to the association and later would provide me with valuable insights into small town retailing.

Old shopping habits die hard so it may take some time to pick shopping alternatives. Sure, there are many fine stores in our area selling the same product lines but the labels, merchandise and how things are displayed might be a little different. And while it’s likely we will know some of the employees in those stores it won’t be like Penneys where we’ve seen and been assisted by the same people for years.

Retailing, like just about all things in life is subject to change although I do often think that change is a little quicker in retailing. When I began my retail career in 1973 the Western New York retail world was a far different place than now. Back then full-service department stores like AM&A’s, Sattler’s, Hengerer’s, Hens and Kelly’s led the way but with building competition from a new breed of discounters like Twin Fair, Hills Two Guys, and the powerful new guy on the block, Kmart. A hybrid retailer, called catalog showrooms provided additional competition in the guise of Century Housewares and my own employer of nearly 25 years Brand Names Sales Inc. And of course, don’t forget Dunkirk-Fredonia’s own Sidey’s and The Book Nook, the best bookstore I ever spent time browsing in.

Now with the exception of Kmart, which appears to be quickly receding from the forefront of retailing, these stores are all gone. They have been replaced by Walmart, Target and a host of other “big box” specialty retailers.

Life goes on and things change. Who knows what the retailers of the future will be like. Will they even have stores or is Amazon the true harbinger of the future of retail? Will “going shopping” become a thing of the past or just mean shopping over the internet? Who knows?

Thomas Kirkpatrick Sr. is a Silver Creek resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com