Oct 24, 2007

Valpo gift shop feels the squeezeBy Carrie NapoleonPost-Trib.com

Valparaiso — Competition from big-box retailers and Internet shopping has hit a decades-old downtown specialty gift shop.Diane and Bill Cooley plan to close their American Legacy gift shop in downtown Valparaiso on Dec. 31.

For 20 years the eclectic shop has been purveying specialty gifts and candies, candles, handbags and furniture.

“It’s strictly a business decision,” said Diane Cooley, who reflected on the changes in the industry that prompted their choice.

The advent of big-box retailers and online shopping has made once hard-to-find items accessible and inexpensive.

Cooley said independent specialty retailers are victims of their own success.

For years shops like hers have promoted small, independent manufacturers and helped them to build their brands.

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