Lad and Lassie closes after 67 years
Online shopping, Amazon forces local storefront out of business after generations
Danielle Towers
Students look back on Lad and Lassie with nostalgia after closing
On February 1st Lad and Lassie, a staple of the North Shore community, closed after 67 years of providing goods and services. While the closing of Lad and Lassie marks a loss for the many generations that have enjoyed it since its opening in 1953, it also highlights a broader trend in the shopping patterns and interests of customers.
In a farewell letter, the owners of Lad and Lassie–Mimi, Patty and Zee Evans–noted this shift as a contributing factors to their closing.
“It is no secret that retail has been changing for a long time. The way people purchase products over the past 15 years has altered dramatically,” the letter read.
Despite the changing times, many loyal customers continued to go out of their way to support the store and the warmth it radiated. For Junior Cat Cohen, her memories of the store are only positive.
“Me and my sister used to go there all the time when we were growing up. We would buy all of our clothes there and we would buy gifts. The ladies there were always so cute. Whenever we would go in they would be like ‘oh we love watching you grow up’. It was always such a fun place to go and I always felt really welcome,” said Cohen.
Even with the support of the community, ultimately the family decided the time had come to let go of Lad and Lassie.
“Our father grew this store with a deep sense of dignity and pride, and we intend to leave it with those same qualities intact,” the owners said.
Despite the closing of Lad and Lassie, the family pledges to continue their legacy through not only memories of their store, but the opening of a new brand.
Available both online and in local retail stores, the new line Tilden Louise Designs will feature handmade home goods and promise to continue to give homes the same warmth provided by Lad and Lassie.
This transition away from physical stores can be seen not only throughout the community where more and more vacant windows line the streets, but also across the country with the rise of online shopping.
For senior Kyle Evans, shopping online is in part a necessity as it allows him a substantially larger array of clothing options.
“For men’s clothing in particular, it’s hard to find decent stores in the area. There is just generally less of it especially at major malls like Old Orchard,” explained Evans.
According to Business to Community, online shopping has continued to gain popularity with over 67% of individuals not only opting to shop online, but preferring it to shopping at physical stores.
In part this preference is a result of the convenience of shopping online. Senior Ellie Sullivan notes the cheaper prices and array of options both contribute to her shopping style.
“I normally shop online, sometimes I will go to the mall for fun. Shopping online is more convenient and I only shop online if shipping is free” said Sullivan.
Even students like Cohen, who actively try to shop at smaller businessesandphysicalstoresfind themselves caught in the web of online shopping. A web which seems to be leaving more and more of local towns empty.
“I try shopping more at actual stores, but sometimes I fall victim to online shopping. I want to support small businesses because a lot of them aregoingunderanditmakesmesad, going to town and seeing all of the vacancies” Cohen said.