Ridgefield’s Turkey Ridge store to close after 22 years
RIDGEFIELD — Nadine Dolhy closed her shop only for Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year’s.
But after 22 years, Turkey Ridge — a long-standing gift shop on Bailey Avenue — may close for good.
“I’ve been working my whole life ... and you get a little bit tired,” Dolhy said.
“You want to do something a little different.”
Dolhy, who is planning her “semi-retirement,” is prepared to close the storefront when her lease is up at the end of the month, but said she is leaving her options open. That includes looking at offers from potential buyers or opening at another storefront six months from now.
“It [the business] could pop up any time in all different manners or forms,” she said.
Dolhy said she could consider keeping the store if her landlord makes her an “offer [she] can’t refuse.”
The decision to close was “pragmatic,” she said. She’s “well over” retirement age and knows she needs a break.
“I just made a quick decision,” Dolhy said. “My back hurts and I need to take some rest. Retail — I’ve been in it my whole life and retail can be exhausting.”
“It’s a large storefront, and it’s tough to be here seven days a week at my age,” she added.
She put up a sign announcing the closure last
Friday, just over a week before the last day on Sunday.
For her, the most fulfilling part of owning Turkey Ridge was the relationships she built with customers.
“It’s very rewarding to work with a community, as opposed to the big box stores or the Amazons,” Dolhy said. “To build relationships with your clients makes life very rewarding, and it’s been the most positive part of running the business.”
Despite how much she’ll miss her customers, Dolhy said she is looking forward to volunteering, gardening and spending more time with her husband, who is also “semi-retired.”
“For the time being, I just intend on letting the dust settle and thinking about what my next chapter is and how I will morph and enjoy the next number of years,” she said. “I’m sure I won’t be home eating bonbons.”