Jun 23, 2008

Don’t make it sad: Stuart card, gift shop Hey Jude closing after 21 yearsBy Kayleen HartmanTCPalm.com

Stuart — An iron worker by trade, Charlie Beers wasn’t considering buying a business when he met Judy Buhnshu 21 years ago.

At that time, Buhnshu owned a business called Hey Jude Cards and Gifts, which she ran at the B&A Flea Market in Stuart. Buhnshu, a fan of the Beatles, had named her business after the greetings she received from customers who walked past her shop.

Buhnshu was looking for a buyer, and when she told Beers she would sell him the business for $50 a week until he had paid off the $3,000 asking price, Beers felt it was an offer he couldn’t refuse.

On April 16, 1987, Beers took over ownership of Hey Jude and entered into a career path that he says is, “more of a family than a business.”

Now Beers is closing the doors of Hey Jude at the end of June. He has seen many changes in that time.

In September 1997, he and his girlfriend, Dee Knezevich, moved the business from the flea market to an indoor shop at 2228 S.E. Federal Highway to avoid the Florida heat.

In 1984, the business had become so successful that Beers opened up a second store called Hey Jude II in Port St. Lucie. It closed four years later because of its “bad location,” Knezevich said.

The financial successes and failures of Hey Jude are only a small part of its story. Hey Jude has been an important part of the community.

Each Christmas, Beers loaded up all the toys that did not sell and donated them to the Salvation Army. “I just try to do what I can,” he said.

Customers who have been married for 50 years or more have turned to Beers and Knezevich when they have suffered the loss of their loved ones who once shopped at Hey Jude.

“They need someone to talk to,” Beers said. “We don’t care if they buy anything.”

It’s no surprise then that customers have entered the store crying when they read the sign outside the store announcing its close-out sale. Beers hates to see the store close, but wants to spend more time with his three grandchildren.

Added Knezevich, “I’m sad to see it close. We started out with customers, but they’re all friends.”

from TCPalm.com © 2008