The Independence Township location of Frank’s Nursery was relatively quiet late last week. On the door was a sign reading, ‘All sales final as of Sept. 8, 2004.?
A few customers knew of the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy and pending liquidation; others learned of it by visiting the store.
Virtually everyone reacted with disappointment.
‘I hate to see them close,? Dorothy Munro said. As she looked at flower pots she had just purchased, she summed up the chain’s situation. ‘I guess they weren’t making enough money.?
Amanda Morrisson had heard the news. Although the store had yet to announce an official liquidation sale, she came looking for bargains.
‘I grew up with my mom taking me to Frank’s as a kid,? Morrisson said. When she and her husband heard the news, ‘We were both really bummed out.?
While customers were open with their reactions, employees at the Dixie Highway/White Lake Road location were not willing to talk. They referred all questions to the company’s Troy office, which did not return any of several telephone calls from The Clarkston News.
When asked for information on the local store’s plans for liquidation, an employee who did not want to be identified said, ‘We’d like to know, too.?
In a generic press release, the company on Sept. 8 announced the second Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding in a little more than two years. Despite ‘working diligently in an attempt to return its operations to profitability,? corporate officers decided to close the chain of 169 stores in 14 states.
The decision came because of ‘a general weakness in economic conditions, a steady decline in customer traffic and unfavorable weather patterns,? the press release said.
Some analysts said the company failed to develop a unique identity in the face of growth of big box home improvement stores, but customer Sandy Sesan said Frank’s had succeeded in that category.
‘I like Frank’s because they deal with a broader range of people who can afford this. They’ve been a very good store,? Sesan said, noting she has been a customer for about 15 years. She also wishes they had maintained their formerly extensive line of arts and crafts.
‘I’m going to really miss it,? she said.
Going-out-of-business sales will be announced upon approval of the federal bankruptcy court, the press release said.