Susie Stromberg, a Delaware native, has owned the consignment store Toujours for 16 years. She has watched the growth of Sandusky Street unfold through the wide window of her quaint shop.
One of the biggest changes Stromberg has seen is the number of customers she gets off the street. “I have gotten a lot more foot traffic,” she said.
“If I left here on a Friday or Saturday when we closed, the downtown would be deserted like a ghost town, but now there’s people. Originally most of my customers were people that worked downtown, the offices, now I see people coming in from all over. Delaware is getting a little bit of a reputation.”
The reputation continues to attract customers from surrounding Ohio counties such as Marion and Marysville. Many of them come to the downtown area in search of dinner plans at restaurants such as Son of Thurman and 12 West, but end up exploring the retail stores.
While Stromberg has been able to maintain her business, she has noticed a significant decline in the presence of retail stores in Delaware. “I grew up here and I remember the gazillions of retail stores, there were at least three shoe stores, at least 8-10 ladies and men’s clothing stores and a couple of drug stores. I’ve seen it go from all of that.”
Stromberg explained that one of the main reasons small retail stores were pushed out is because of bigger companies that have moved in to the periphery of downtown. “And then Wal-Mart came in. You can always blame Wal-Mart.”
For the future she hopes to see more clothing and gift shop related stores. Despite the shift from retail to restaurant heavy, Stromberg still keeps a positive perspective on the community.
“There are a lot of downtowns that are still struggling,” she said. “A lot of downtowns get deserted, a lot of businesses leave. But I feel like we are on our way up to success.”
Toujours
Thrifty Chic, a non-profit retail store that supports The Childrens and Veterans Foundation opened in downtown Delaware in April 2015.
According to the store’s website, “It is the mission of the Childrens and Veterans Foundation to provide financial support, by awarding grants, to those organizations that provide exemplary service to families coping with food insecurity; and to organizations whose mission is to offer support to the veterans of the United States Armed Forces.”
The first Thrifty Chic opened in April 2014 in Canal Winchester, Ohio and closed early this year. Store manager Cassie Semon said, “We just recently closed the Canal one, and consolidated to [Delaware]. This was a better location.”
The future of downtown Delaware, according to Semon, is looking very positive. Because of Main Street Delaware, people are really starting to shop locally. “Main Street Delaware is really helping revitalize the downtown area. Certain businesses like Bun’s have become institutions where it is a tradition to go,” said Semon.
Semon said she thinks that as more people come to Delaware and see its potential, the downtown area will continue to grow. “There’s an upward momentum with downtown Delaware, which is really nice,” she said.
Semon has lived her entire life in Delaware. She has seen the town’s dedication to its antique stores, but she doubts the community could support any more. As the downtown area expands, she said she hopes to see more restaurants and specialty shops.
“Restaurants tend to be really popular … the ones that are really good like Son of Thurman, and even Bun’s has a huge following, they tend to stick … Choffey's gained a good following,” she said.
Building a customer base that’s willing to come in when it’s not so nice outside and when they have to walk a few blocks is crucial to thriving as a business in downtown Delaware, Semon said.