Rough Economy Forces Hicksville Store To Close
HICKSVILLE, N.Y. (WCBS 880) -- After 71 years in business, a family-owned store on Long Island specializing in athletic gear will be closing its doors for good.
Win and Liz Goldman, the owners of Goldman Brothers in Hicksville, said operating the store just was not economically viable any longer citing competition from Internet retailers, high taxes and insurance costs.
The store will close at the end of the year.
"We made the decision to close, which was really a heartfelt and very painful decision that we came to," Liz Goldman told WCBS 880's Sophia Hall.
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The couple said loyal customers were devastated by the news and tried to help stop the closing.
"We have customers saying 'can we help you find a smaller space, can we lend you money, what can we do,'" Liz Goldman said.
But Win Goldman said the current economic climate and draw from bigger stores has made it "overwhelming to do business on a smaller scale."
"Back then there just weren't a lot of places like us and to be honest there aren't a lot of places like us now either," he said.
The couple said, simply put, the mounting costs made it too hard to run a mom and pop business.
"All the customers are telling us that they don't know where they're going to go," Liz Goldman said, "they're devastated."
