Ben Franklin store to close its doors in Janesville
(Published Monday, April 30, 2007 11:39:23 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Jim Leute Gazette staff
A changing competitive landscape, slowing sales and an urge to retire are the closing chapters in the story of Ben Franklin and the store's 40-year run in Janesville.
The store in the Blackhawk Village Shopping Center on Janesville's south side closed Sunday and will reopen Wednesday with a "Going Out of Business Sale."
The store at 1850 Center Avenue is owned by Bob Guild and carries creative products such as needlecrafts, florals, wicker, paints, fabrics and yarn. It also offers framing and craft classes.
Guild said the decision to close the store was difficult.
"Sales have been slowing down, we're facing some major competition, and I'm going to be 69 years old," Guild said. "I want to retire, and this is the chance to do that."
Guild said the store lacked the hot categories needed to boost sagging sales.
"You need trends, although we've had steady departments," he said, adding that he tried unsuccessfully to sell the store.
In a letter to customers, Guild said:
"We have had a lot of positive comments on our store and have been proud to be a part of the Janesville business community."
Ben Franklin opened in Janesville in 1967 as a variety store. In the mid 1980s, it converted partially to a craft store. Guild completed the transition to crafts when he bought the store in 1987, according to Janesville Gazette files.
At the time, retailers were moving to specialty markets to survive.
Fast forward 20 years, and the landscape has continued to diversify into niche markets.
Michaels, the nation's largest specialty seller of arts and crafts materials, has a store in Janesville's Pine Tree Plaza. Michaels operates more than 900 stores in 48 states and Canada.
In addition, Hobby Lobby Creative Center plans to open in 58,000 square feet of space in the former Wal-Mart building at the intersection of Milton Avenue and Highway 14 in Janesville. With 386 stores in 30 states, Hobby Lobby is projecting sales in 2007 of $1.8 billion.
"Those are our competitors, and we weren't doing that well," said Guild, who has a staff of seven employees.
Guild hesitates to call his store's closing the end of the variety store era in Janesville.
"The dime store closed 20 years ago," he said.
According to its Web site, the independently owned and operated Ben Franklin has been in business since George and Edward Butler founded it in 1877. It was named for Ben Franklin because Butler admired Franklin's thriftiness, honesty, and ingenuity. In the United States, Ben Franklin operates in 38 states.
Guild said his store is well stocked for spring and summer, and "everything will go" at discounted prices.
"We have strived to satisfy customers' needs and create a fun shopping atmosphere," he said. "We will miss all our regular customers very much since they have been a large part of our Ben Franklin Crafts family."
Guild said he was happy with his south-side location. The business is a destination store, and he said he routinely drew customers from the Beloit area.
"We've had wonderful customers," he said. "Since the letter came out this weekend, everybody has said they feel bad, but they understand."
