GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Service Reproduction Co., an art supply store in Grand Rapids, will close this week after 78 years of business on the city's west side.
Founded in the 1940s, the family-owned small business initially made its money by printing blueprints and, over time, branched out into selling art supplies, as seen in the colorful paints, pencils and many other mediums that fill its friendly aisles.
"This has been our life," said general manager Caroll Warners, who has worked at the store for the past 38 years. "My whole adult life, I've been here."
Warners, whose father owns Service Reproduction Co., says post-pandemic costs have climbed as sales have fallen. Across the street, the nearby construction of Amway Stadium has also been bad for business.
"We really saw a decrease in customers coming in," Warners said. "We just can't afford to stay in business anymore."
While the store made "every effort" to move to a different location, Warners says they weren't able to afford to do so in an "inflated" real estate market.
"There's been a lot of tears between customers and the staff here," she said. "It was not an easy decision by any means."
As Amway Stadium and other large-scale projects like the Acrisure Amphiteater begin to take their place in the city skyline, I took talk of construction to the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce.
"We all wish we didn't have to have construction, but it is a necessity," said Alex Benda, the chamber's economic growth business consultant.
Benda said developments like these are designed to bring long-term economic growth to a city, including its small businesses. In the short-term, though, it's these business that sometimes do pay a price, forced to reckon with closed roads, less foot traffic and less parking as construction takes place nearby.
"[Construction] is not a problem that businesses have to suffer from all the time, but your sidewalk is going to have to be repaired at some point," Benda said. "So, knowing your business is going to be open, you need to start thinking about how would you handle the situation."
Benda says, in these situations, the Grand Rapids Chamber can connect business owners to "a ton of resources," including a new program called West Michigan Community Cash, which offers gift cards that can only be spent at designated spots the city.
"It takes a villager to make a village, and with construction, those businesses that are on the street are absolutely in need," he said.
After announcing the store's closure, Warners says the response from customers was "huge."
"Everybody's just heartbroken we won't be here anymore," she said.
The last day of business for Service Reproduction Co. is this Saturday. Warners says she's thankful for the artists, crafters, schools and professionals who've helped keep her family's business open for more than three-quarters of a century.
"We were here to give people what they needed," Warners said.
