Something Special closing after 42 years in Annandale

It’s the end of an era. After 42 years at Annandale’s Little River Shopping Center, Something Special is closing.

Owner Jeff Kay, who’s been at the store for 27 years, says closing the store has been a tough decision, but it’s necessary for a variety of factors.

“The younger generation doesn’t send cards the way older generations did,” Kay says. “There’s been a shift in how today’s youth communicates.” Younger people might buy a card for their parents or older people, but they’re more likely to send birthday greetings to their friends via Facebook, text message, or e-card.

Bad weather during the top card-selling periods took a toll on Something Special over the past year, too, Kay says. The snowstorm last December hurt the sale of Christmas cards and gifts, while the February snowstorm put a damper on valentine cards. On top of that, a thunderstorm caused a power outage on the Saturday before Mother’s Day requiring the store to close for several hours.

“A demographic shift in the Annandale community” has also hurt the business. “Our best customers are aging and moving away. Our tried and true customers are literally a dying breed,” says Kay, who attended several funerals recently for longtime customers. And like all independent businesses, Something Special was hurt by the economic downturn, beginning in the fall of 2008.

Al and Pat Cology opened the store in 1965, Kay says. Kay’s farther purchased it in 1983 and the two of them ran it as partners. Kay plans to take a month off and “take some time to decide what I want to do when I grow up.” He says he’s been lucky to have had a good staff over the years, adding, “this store gave me an opportunity to meet some wonderful people as customers.”

There is a bit of good news about the Little River Shopping Center: Dollar Tree will open a store within the next few weeks at the site vacated by the Washington Department Store next to Blockbuster.