Town's Antiques closes its doors
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on September 11, 2016 1:45 AM
Denny and Wendy Town decided to close up shop after working in the antique business 46 years.
The owners of Town's Antiques at 107 N. Center St. recently closed the businesses after deciding to retire.
"This is all we've ever done is antiques," Denny Town said. "We said to each other, when it's not fun anymore, we're going to stop. We want to do different things with our lives."
Town's Antiques first opened in Goldsboro about three years ago on James Street but relocated to North Center Street in 2014.
The owners started considering retirement several months ago but held off until they were able to lure another business to the property.
"We had four people who were interested, but this guy wanted to bring money into Goldsboro, which is what we wanted," Town said.
The owners will lease the store to a Raleigh businessman, expected to open a store with interior decorations, antiques and other gifts in October.
Merchandise inside Town's Antiques has been moved to the third floor of the building and stored. The owners could consider, at some point in the future, to re-open a business elsewhere, depending on the market and their interest.
"We did good business," Town said. "Right now, (antique sales) are running flat. Maybe in three years, we'll start up again."
Before moving to Goldsboro several years ago, the Towns owned and operated an antique shop in Mechanicsburg, Penn., for 26 years.
They decided to move to the city after finding a historic home on James Street, in a location that was closer to family in Virginia.
The couple first leased property for Town's Antiques when it was located on James Street. They later decided to purchase the three-story downtown building and moved the business to a more visible location.
"We bought this building for our grandkids, as an investment," Town said.
The Towns plan to remain in Goldsboro during retirement.
"We love our house," Wendy Town said. "We're excited because we get to work on our house, we get to do a little more traveling and we get to spend time with our grandkids."