(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The long goodbye begins for Tenenbaum True Value at 1138 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago.
"I was a naysayer — ‘There’s not going to be hundreds of people here today.’ I was wrong," co-owner Pam Lipshutz said Thursday.
A line had formed before the store opened and began its liquidation sale.
"It seemed like a mad rush as soon as everyone came in. Nobody was necessarily looking for anything particular,” Lipshutz said, smiling.
She said has been overwhelmed by the support she’s experienced since it was announced the property will be sold.
Pam Lipshutz and her brother Steve's grandfather, Herman Tenenbaum, opened the business in 1923. Tenenbaum’s son-in-law, the late Morrie Lipshutz, took over.
His children grew up at the store, learned the business and eventually took over. Steve Lipshutz said it was a difficult decision to fold but feels like it’s time.
“My dad really wanted us to get rid of the store before he passed away in 2017, so we can have a life,” he said. “After he died, we got a bunch of offers, and we picked a developer that we thought was very good for the neighborhood.”
For Tenenbaum's regular customers, it's a sad reality.
"I've been coming here for 35 years," customer Tom Robinson said. "I came every day for a long time. I knew Morrie, and have known Steve all his life. Things are disappearing as we age. I just wanted to show my support by coming here today."
"We cry every time we come in here,” said Ellen Miller, a regular customer since 1986. “It’s not just the store, but it's the personal relationships. I was close to Pam's dad. These kind of places are far and few between. It’s the sign of the times. It's heartbreaking.”
The siblings have a deal to sell the single-story building to a Chicago developer who would build apartments and retail at the site.
The store will sell off its inventory for the next two months. A last day hasn’t been formally scheduled.
Steve Lipshutz gets choked up talking about being the third generation to own and run the store.
"I want our legacy to be that we cared about our customers. It's hard to think about these people that I see every single day. I won't see them anymore. I just think it's a wonderful tribute to my dad, and my grandfather, that this little small family business means so much to the community.”
And then there is the long-familiar sign on the outside of the store.
“It's going to be weird driving down Belmont Avenue not seeing the giant T,” he said.
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