Small Durham retailers share in successes, failures

Although a cluster of stores have recently closed along Durham's Ninth Street corridor, remaining retailers are determined to band together and share successes.

The latest loss is The Play House toy store, which will end its run at 702 9th St. on Sunday.

Owner Donna Frederick says she is proud of the store's 32-year run. "I wanted to show you the awards that this city and customers have given this store," she said.

But in recent years, The Play House has not made the money Frederick needs to stay open.

"It’s very emotional. It was emotional liquidating the toys first," she said.

She's seen others – The Pie Hole dessert and coffee shop and Jin's dry cleaner – succumb to the same pressures.

"Small business is the heart of a neighborhood, and every one that we lose, like we've lost several on Ninth Street, is a loss to the community," Frederick said.

She attributes The Play House's declining sales, in part, to online shopping.

Katie Westerman, executive director of One World Market and a member of the Ninth Street Merchants Association, shares Frederick's disappointment.

"We are always sad to see someone close on Ninth Street. They're our neighbors and our friends," she said.

But Westerman doesn't see a trend of decline. She notes that recent business closures have come for a variety of reasons. One World Market is on pace for a great year, she said.

"This will probably be one of our best years on the books if things keep going the way that they are," she said.

She pointed to Ninth Street's diversity as a draw and said individual business owners there are not competitors. They are a team.

"I don't think people come to Ninth Street just to come to one store," Westerman said. "I think people come for the shopping experience, and that's not something you can get on Amazon."

Frederick hopes more in Durham will get the message.

"Support your local business," she said. "If you’re going to buy online, buy local online."