Spending cuts take toll on local stores, eatery

[OhioChick]

Article published Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Business closings a sign of times

Longtime businessman Bob Peeler knows that the signs of a healthy local economy are not the ones hanging in the front windows of his iconic South Toledo music store.

The sign hanging on his storefront - and becoming more and more common across the region - is the one no businessman wants to see: Going out of business.

"I made the decision a couple months ago," Mr. Peeler explained yesterday from his office in Peeler Music, the musician's paradise he has operated at 2505 South Byrne Rd. for the last 24 years and will close June 1.

"I started losing money two years ago. I'm just not going to lose everything."

Mr. Peeler's is among at least four businesses that have decided within recent weeks that the economy is no longer supporting their enterprises.

The others are Beartooth Mountaineering Outdoor Sports and Recreation in Sylvania's Starlite plaza; The Inn, a restaurant in Maumee, and Doggie Boutique in Levis Commons in Perrysburg. All share one fatal flaw with Peeler Music: They rely on their customers' discretionary income.

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080319/BUSINESS06/803190390