DECATUR -
Wyker's has been in business in Decatur since 1888. However, Tuesday was the final day for the specialty toy store.
People find treasures they couldn't find in any other store, even though the shelves are almost bare.
"It's sad because, you know, since I was a little girl, my parents would shop here for me," said Beth Coggins, a shopper. "They have toys that you can't find anywhere else. So it's sad."
Some never thought this day would come.
"I never really thought about it. It's always been here," said Ellen King, another shopper. "But things aren't the same as they used to be. Everything changes. They will be missed."
Susan Wyker Jones, the fourth generation owner of Wyker's Toys, says it's time to go.
"Tradition doesn't pay bills. Business has, because of the economy, because of the Internet shopping, because of the trends in the industry going to more electronic. The children having the Wiis, and the X-Boxes, and the Nintendo DS," said Jones.
Jones said she didn't want to take the store in that direction.
Now that Wyker's is closing, some shoppers will have to look elsewhere for specialty toys.
"I guess I'll have to go to the Internet, but I don't like to shop on the Internet," said shopper Shanna Coan. "I like to come in, touch and play with it and let the kids pick out what they like."
That's the very reason the Wykers have stayed in business as long as they have.
When Wyker's Toys opened in 1888 on Bank Street, it was a hardware store. It moved to its current location on Bank Street in 1905 and became a toy store.
People find treasures they couldn't find in any other store, even though the shelves are almost bare.
"It's sad because, you know, since I was a little girl, my parents would shop here for me," said Beth Coggins, a shopper. "They have toys that you can't find anywhere else. So it's sad."
Some never thought this day would come.
"I never really thought about it. It's always been here," said Ellen King, another shopper. "But things aren't the same as they used to be. Everything changes. They will be missed."
Susan Wyker Jones, the fourth generation owner of Wyker's Toys, says it's time to go.
"Tradition doesn't pay bills. Business has, because of the economy, because of the Internet shopping, because of the trends in the industry going to more electronic. The children having the Wiis, and the X-Boxes, and the Nintendo DS," said Jones.
Jones said she didn't want to take the store in that direction.
Now that Wyker's is closing, some shoppers will have to look elsewhere for specialty toys.
"I guess I'll have to go to the Internet, but I don't like to shop on the Internet," said shopper Shanna Coan. "I like to come in, touch and play with it and let the kids pick out what they like."
That's the very reason the Wykers have stayed in business as long as they have.
When Wyker's Toys opened in 1888 on Bank Street, it was a hardware store. It moved to its current location on Bank Street in 1905 and became a toy store.
