Used clothing store Everyday People in Dinkytown will close Sept. 28 after 13 years of operation.
Liza Youngscap and Kitty Van Hofwegan, the two sisters who own the store and two others in Uptown and St. Paul, said that while they had a good run between 2000 and 2004, sales since then have steadily declined.
“We’ve noticed that our two other locations have done a lot better than Dinkytown,” Youngscap said. “We had some great years here, and I really appreciate all that from Dinkytown, but it’s kind of just been a weight on my shoulders for a couple years now.”
In the early ’70s Dinkytown was a popular shopping area with clothing, gift shops and jewelry stores. But the area has slowly moved toward offering mainly bars and restaurants, Dinkytown Business Association President Skott Johnson said.
“We’re probably not looked at as a place to go shopping, but we’re a great place to come for entertainment,” Johnson said.
Before the 14th Avenue Southeast and University Avenue Southeast building housed Everyday People, it was home to a Kinko’s and a Musicland store.
Now with the Ragstock thrift store and Covered boutique gone, Everyday People is one of the last clothing stores to go, leaving only Mind State Distribution and Gold Country Apparel in Dinkytown.
“It used to have more shopping foot traffic. I don’t know where the students are going to shop these days, but they’re not coming to Dinkytown,” Youngscap said. “Both [of our other locations] have shops around them so a lot of younger people shop in those two areas. But they don’t come here for that. If they were, we’d stay.”
University of Minnesota sophomore Jenny Weber said she shopped at the store a couple times a year whenever she had a few minutes to spare.
“You kind of have to dig for what you want, but you can find some really good stuff there,” Weber said. “It’s a good way to recycle clothing instead of just throwing it away, but I’m not too surprised [it’s leaving].”
Everyday People also serves as a clothing exchange, as customers can sell clothes for cash.
“I think they [students] would rather shop in Uptown or Mall of America to get new clothes,” Weber said.
Currently the owners don’t have plans to expand or open any new locations but it’s a possibility for the future, Youngscap said. But the sisters know for certain they won’t return to Dinkytown.
“Right now we just want to concentrate on those two [stores] because they’re doing so well,” she said. “We kind of want to see if it continues and where it goes.”
The Refinery Salon, a neighboring business, is thinking of expanding into the store after it has been vacated, Youngscap said, but the spa’s owner, Autumn Williams, declined to comment.