Today's State Journal announced what most of us in the neighborhood have known all week, that Dorn Hardware is closing their Northgate store after 51 years. There have been rumors that a major tenant would be leaving ever since the North Sherman safety project was announced, but the rumors usually identified Frugal Muse rather than Dorn.
I've sort of been expecting a "we told you so" message from the Northside Business Association, but there's been nary a peep all week from anyone, not even on the Northside listserv. Of course, that hasn't stopped the idiots who comment on Madison.com from speculating that the upcoming street reconfiguration has already killed off Dorn Hardware. Has it really?
Tom Dorn, heir to the family business, doesn't seem to think so.
In the State Journal article, he attributes the decision to a 20% decline in business over the past five years. The article gives a lot of space to the Dorns' history and long-term plans -- if they said they're closing because of the bike lanes, the piece surely would've mentioned it. So why has Dorn Hardware been losing business? What's changed over the past five years?
In a word: Meikle's.
Both stores have been competing a mile apart for decades. Five years ago, Meikle's moved into their current space, one of the first stores in True Value's "Destination" concept. As someone who's frequented both stores, I can tell you the difference is night and day: Meikle's is organized, spacious, well-lit, and has a friendly, forward staff; Dorn is cluttered, cramped, a bit dingy, and the staff are tough to track down. The store that invested in its shopping experience won out -- it's as simple as that.
Dorn Hardware isn't the bikies' first victim, it's a warning for every Northside business that relies too heavily on an aging, dwindling population of regulars. How many will get the message?
As a resident of the Sherman Neighborhood, I wanted to let you know that I enjoy your blog. Keep it up.
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