As owners age, Cameron Village shops shut down

"In some ways there is a weight lifted off of us, on the other hand, the outpouring of emotion from our customers has been astonishing," said Sandy Friedman, owner of Accipiter.

Friedman said packing up 25 years is not easy, but that it was time. He closed the doors to his shop for good last week, so he and his wife could enjoy retirement.

"It has been remarkable," he said. "We had no idea that we had this kind of impact on people's lives."

Judith Thomson, who frequented Accipiter, said she will miss the quirky shop.

"There was a special kind of Sudoku book that I liked to get in there. They had the very best from Japan," Thomson said. "I'll just miss it. It was just odd and wonderful."

Two doors down, the Party Shop is also closing. It has been a part of Cameron Village since the 1950s.

"I feel very bad and my mom always came to the Party Shop when they would come visit, so it is sad. I don't like to see that," said April Errickson.

Owner Cora Smith said she is also sad, but that it is the right time to close.

Friedman and Smith both say it is not a lack of business that is driving them out in fact, they say, profits are soaring, but that they are aging.

Around the corner, what was once Pendleton Woolen Mills is now an empty storefront. The Cameron Village property manager said deals are being finalized to fill all three spots, but declined to say what those stores would be.

"I love the hometown feel of shopping here, so that is important to me," Kathleen Lance said.

The property manager said they intend to release details in the next 30 days.