Hanover shops close amid economic woes

By Erin Landau, The Dartmouth Staff

Published on Tuesday, January 17, 2012

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Only the latest casualty in a string of recent business closures in Hanover, Hanover Outdoors will be shutting down in the near future, according to owner Tom Ciardelli. “Astronomical” rents in Hanover and the recent economic downturn have made it difficult for many retailers to stay in business, Ciardelli said. Brambles, a local gift and homewares shop, also closed down in early January.

“There has always been a significant turnover in retailers in downtown Hanover,” Ciardelli said. “It is a difficult place to do business if you’re not on the north end of Main Street. I don’t know of any retailers that are doing exceptionally well, and it’s especially difficult if you don’t have an online shopping component.”

Parking and construction have also negatively affected Hanover Outdoors and many other businesses in the area, Ciardelli said.

“We’ve been severely impacted by the construction around us and have had issues with congestion and parking in town,” he said. “Hanover is not a great place to come from the outside and shop.”

Students returned to campus after winter break to find Brambles had already shut down, with a sign in the window to inform customers that it had gone out of business.

“I don’t have any information on why [Brambles] closed, but I do know the owner has multiple parties interested in leasing the space,” Luke Walthour, the building superintendent, said in an email to The Dartmouth.

Ciardelli said he considered closing Hanover Outdoors for several months and is “looking forward to the free time.” In terms of impacting the greater Hanover area, he said the store’s closure will only affect his fly-fishing customers.

The fly-fishing portion of the store will be moved to a new location in Lebanon, which will focus solely on fishing and some related apparel and will be run by Steve Cole, a manager at Hanover Outdoors, Ciardelli said.

There will be a new business replacing Hanover Outdoors, according to Ciardelli, who also owns the building, but he said he is “not at liberty to say” what the new store will contain.

“We have some very good customers that shop here regularly, but there are other opportunities in Hanover,” Ciardelli said. “I don’t think it will affect them significantly, and it won’t have a major impact on Hanover.”

Popular burrito restaurant Gusanoz also closed earlier this fall due to economic issues, according co-owner Nick Yager. The restaurant’s Hanover location “bled the company” for the last three years, Yager said.

The Hanover eatery only generated one-third of the business that the Lebanon site did, but required 50 to 60 percent of the owners’ energy, he said.

Other restaurants also spoke of declining business in Hanover.

“We don’t do the figures we did 10 years ago because of the economy,” Everything But Anchovies President Maureen Bogosian said. “Everyone just has to work harder for less — that’s the way that all businesses work now.”

Hanover Outdoors has been in business since 1998, and since its opening has gained “loyal customers” who shop at the store regularly, especially for fly-fishing materials, Ciardelli said.

“This is my favorite fly-fishing shop, and I’m probably their best customer,” Hanover resident Marcia Stone said. “The staff here was very helpful in outfitting me for my trips to Belize and New Zealand.” Cole has worked at Hanover Outdoors since 2008. Growing up in Lebanon, N.H., Cole was an avid fly-fisher and said working at Hanover Outdoors was a “natural choice.” Having worked in larger retail shops, Cole said working for a smaller, locally-owned store has been “incredible.”

“Just judging from the customers, we have a very loyal customer base,” Cole said. “They will really miss the products that we have. People are going to have to go to online sources. Also, other retailers such as Mountain Goat are going to have to fill the clothing hole left by our store.” Norwich resident and “avid fly fisher” Karen Kayen, who was wearing a coat bought at the store when she spoke to The Dartmouth, said she laments the loss of such a “beautiful” and “useful” store. She was wearing a coat bought from the store, and said she had made numerous purchases, including waders, boots and a rod from the store.

“It has a real nice niche in town, and there’s really no other outfitter of this sort,” Kayen said.

Peter Harnish, who has worked at the store for over a year, had no prior experience working in retail, he said. Originally from Ohio, Harnish moved to Hanover with his fiance, who is currently a PhD student at Dartmouth. His experience hiking and camping helped prepare him to work in the store, but he needed to learn a lot about the fly-fishing and clothing aspects of the shop, Harnish said.

“You really get to know the regular customers working here,” Harnish said. “It has been especially great interacting with the through-hikers. In fact, one out of three hikers stop into the store just to chat.”

Representatives from Brambles could not be reached for comment by press time.