Coming Home To Country Liquidates Inventory

There's no denying that the economy has taken its toll on Sayville's downtown. The vacant storefronts on Main Street are enough to tell the story. Thornhills, Runaway Books and Violets Blue have all closed their doors during the past year. More recently, Lealand Eve and Kayla's Kards shut their doors. A new name can now be added to the list as Coming Home To Country will be leaving town early next year.

The recent clearance signs in the window have already brought in quite the crowd looking for a bargain. It was bustling with shoppers throughout the weekly afternoon hours when the rest of town was relatively quiet. Owner Mary Novotny took over the business about four years ago with her husband. "It's a bittersweet ending to see so many people shopping here," she said. "It's an emotional thing for me to watch."

The Sayville resident had been looking around for her own business when this location popped up for sale four years ago. When her lease came up for renewal, Novotny felt like it was time to make a hard decision. "We had fair negotiations in terms of the rent," she said. "I don't feel like I was forced out or anything like that. But I had to look at the economy and everything that is going on. And I also now have to compete with stores on the Internet. I just felt like it was a losing proposition but I didn't give up without a fight. It was just taking too much time and energy away from my family and I wasn't get enough back in return."

The liquidation sale is going on now with items marked down from 25 percent and more. The store will remain open until the end of January.