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Both Den locations close doors
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by Aubre Andrus
Monday, August 8, 2005
After 28 years of entertaining window displays, Onion t-shirts and gigantic Styrofoam fountain drinks for under $1, The Den has closed both its doors on State Street and at University Square.
Tim Main, owner of The Den, said the stores were not profitable anymore and business had been declining over the past three to four years. The University Square location closed June 30th and the store at 555 State Street shut its doors July 31st.
“I’ve been working on it for several months, realizing that I probably couldn’t go on much longer,” Main said. “I probably should have done it a year or two ago but after 28 years, you kind of think you can turn it around.”
The aisles of The Den were once filled with everything from frozen pizzas and greeting cards to magazines and “Wiscompton” shirts. The store first opened as Discount Den on November 16, 1976 and aimed to offer good prices to University of Wisconsin students.
Main said students could find a product when they wanted it at The Den and as spring break approached, suntan lotion would fill the shelves.
“We wanted to give the students a lot of low prices on cigarettes and soda and their everyday needs,” Main said. “That became difficult to maintain over the years because of rising costs and shrinking profit.”
Discount Den was changed to The Den in 1990 because the store could not maintain a discount image.
The Den also sells CDs and develops photos, but Main said the music business has moved to the Internet and the photo business is now dominated by digital cameras, which has affected sales.
Main said is he seeking a subleaser to fill the two locations.
“The rents are getting to a point where a small business guy just can’t make it anymore. That’s just the way it goes.”
Chain stores have been slowly making their way onto State Street over the past few years. A Reebok store is moving into 502 State Street, where Roses-R-Red used to sell candy and gifts, and Ben & Jerry’s has replaced The Art Mart, Inc. at 224 State St.
Michelle Notargiovanni has been an employee of The Den for two years and said she is “really sad” to see the store go.
“I loved it here. It was my favorite job ever,” Notargiovanni said. “It’s been a great place.”
UW senior Meghan Hurley, a theater and communication arts major, said she “loves” the University Square location because she is always in nearby Vilas Hall for class.
“I hate that it’s closing,” Hurley said. “When we would be stuck in the theater all day, we’d go there between shows for ‘big gulps.’”
This semester, lecture halls will be empty of “Den pops,” often used to stay awake during class. Students will also have to migrate to a new business in search of good deals for developing photos.
“I’ve had so many people come in and wish us well and say they can’t believe how long they’ve been shopping here and how much fun they’ve had,” Main said. “We’ve had fun too.”
