CRANBURY — A staple of the shopping district in the village has closed after more than three decades in town.
By:Brian Shappell
A staple of the shopping district in the village has closed after more than three decades in town.
On Sept. 15, the Dandeline Shop on North Main Street closed its doors for the final time. Phyllis Davison, who has owned 77 N. Main St. shop for seven years and the building for two years, sold the building to Glen and Phyllis Johnson.
The Johnsons purchased the building for residential reasons according to Ms. Davison. She said the couple’s financial offer was the sole reason for her decision to sell.
"They expressed an interest in purchasing the building even though I had no plans to sell it at the time," Ms. Davison said. "As a business investment, it was the right time to make the decision. The business was thriving, though. That’s why I agonized over the decision."
The Dandeline Shop first opened its doors in the 1960s. The business was a clothing store that catered primarily to older women, according to Ms. Davison. Ms. Davison, who moved to Princeton 30 years ago after growing up in Staten Island, N.Y., purchased the Dandeline Shop from Patricia Rasta who bought it from original owner, Addie Provenzano.
"I’ve always been in the retail business," Ms. Davison said. "I had a similar business in the 1980s. I was working in corporate America for a while and realized I wanted to go back to having my own business."
Ms. Davison said she, in recent years, has been tying to attract a younger crowd including young mothers and even their children. Ms. Davison said she wanted the store to offer a "mother-daughter" shopping experience.
While the Dandeline Shop has been a permanent fixture in Cranbury during four different decades, Ms. Davison said the majority of her business came from senior communities outside of Cranbury as well as residents of East Windsor and Princeton.
"I would say only about 5 percent of my business was from Cranbury," said Ms. Davison. "However, the people who did come from the township were very loyal."
Still, a new clothing shop is opening in a portion of the building. Arlene Brown, who owns a clothing store in the Concordia Shopping Center, is opening another clothing store called Champagne Taste. The store will be about one-third of the size of the Dandeline Shop and will be set up in an area of the building known as Harold O’ Neill’s store.
"For all the people who shopped in my store, they still have a place to go," Ms. Davison said.
Ms. Davison is not retiring from the business world, however. She is moving her focus just a few doors down the street as she is now an employee of her son, John, at his business, The Corner Cafe.
Ms. Davison is developing the marketing plan for the business’ corporate catering offerings.