Wyckoff Peddler Closing After 50 Years

After 50 years of business, the is forced to close on July 14. At 5 p.m. Saturday, owners Eileen Kuipers and Sharon Spoelstra will say goodbye to a store that became a town centerpiece.

"It's the end of an iconic store," Kuipers said.

The Peddler is having a closing sale its last week with everything marked down between 50 and 70 percent.

The Wyckoff Peddler is a gift shop that sells seasional items, candles, framed artwork and pictures, table clothes and small furniture. The owners visited different gift stores and picked out items that aren't common to your average shop.

"We’re not a home goods or a target, we were a very special store," she said. "We have people that come in here just because they’re having a bad day, they don’t even need to buy anything."

All that remain for the Peddler's last two days of business are odds and ends, and a few pieces of furniture.

“We are pretty much sold out of everything,” Kuipers said. “By the time we close the doors on Saturday at 5 o’clock we will probably hardly have anything to pack up.”

Kuipers and Spoelstra worked at the Peddler for 8 and 9 years respectively, before buying the business from their former boss, Beth Fylstra. They've been co-owners since 2004.

"Sharon and I worked at the store and we really enjoyed it. When Beth decided to sell she offered the store to us first and we decided to purchase it from her," Kuipers said. "We would have started our 9^th year this month."

The landlord sold the property without giving them enough time to relocate, so Kuipers and Spoelstra are forced to give up their double decade business endeavor.

"The business is up for sale if somebody would like to purchase the Wyckoff Peddler and start it in a different location, but Sharon and I at this time don’t have any plans to continue," Kuipers said.

As hard as it is to say goodbye to the Peddler, the owners find it even harder to say goodbye to the customers.

"The Peddler was an established business, so it already had a huge following and we just added to that," Kuipers said. "They're more than customers, now they're our friends."

This small town shop was home to customers of all ages. The customer base ranged from old married couples who have been loyal customers since their weddings, to young people who stop in and browse through trinkets.

Regardless of age, the customers will miss Eileen, Sharon, and the Peddler.

"It’s a big cry fest over here right now. Customers are just coming in to say goodbye and most of them are teary," Kuipers said. "We appreciated everybody’s business and we’re going to miss them."

The Wyckoff Peddler is located at 861 Franklin Ave. in Franklin Lakes.