Beloved specialty clothing store closing after 49 years

Running a household concern for 50 years requires a batch of sacrifice.

I grew up successful a household business, Lynn Ladder & Scaffolding, which has really existed for longer than that. When it's your family's business, there's small separation betwixt enactment hours and disconnected hours.

As a kid, I retrieve precocious nights erstwhile the alarm went disconnected astatine firm headquarters, and my begetter had to spell conscionable the constabulary successful bid to fig retired what happened. When I got older and spent 4 years moving for the business, I experienced aboriginal mornings bringing merchandise to occupation sites to support customers happy, and I learned that mixing household and concern has its challenges.

To marque immoderate household concern past astir 50 years, you person to person a passionateness for it, and that's thing Ronnie Sylvester, known arsenic “Mr. Boot” successful the Country and Western industry, had for Western clothing.

His store, Sylvester's Western Wear, served locals from its Louisiana store and was a determination destination arsenic good arsenic a tourer attraction. Sylvester ran the store until helium passed distant successful 2020 pursuing a conflict with Parkinson’s disease.

His wife, Lisa Sylvester, has operated the concern since.

“My hubby worked truthful precise hard. He’s a legend. I wanted to transportation connected for him, but present it’s clip successful my beingness that I enactment my household first,” Lisa Sylvester told Fox 8 Live.

The store volition adjacent for bully connected January 5.

Lisa Sylvester told Fox that shifting buying habits person affected longtime section businesses similar hers.

“It definite does impact the section businesses that person been present for galore many years,” she said. “You cognize it’s the mode the world’s turning.”

"Worldwide, e-commerce retail income volition scope an estimated $6.42 trillion successful 2025, representing 20.5% of each retail commerce," according to e-commerce information from Capital One.

The study showed the interaction of online shopping, which has deed chains similar Sylvester's Western Wear, which has a precise constricted website without an e-commerce business, particularly hard.

• Over 2.77 billion radical worldwide store online.

• Projections bespeak that worth volition summation to $8.91 trillion successful 2030.

• Business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce spending volition full $62.2 trillion by 2030.

• eCommerce income successful 2025 volition beryllium up 6.86% from full e-commerce retail income successful 2024 ($6.01 trillion).

• U.S. retail e-commerce income for 2025 are expected to full $1.47 trillion, up 9.78% from 2024 ($1.34 trillion).

While the shutdown plans were not made authoritative until aft Christmas, Lisa Sylvester has hinted astatine immoderate coming changes successful a pre-holiday Facebook post.

"One store for continued savings! Again, convey you for your emotion and enactment done our 50 beauteous years. Can't hold to spot what the aboriginal holds! Merry merry Christmas to everyone! Thank you," she wrote.

The store offered discounts arsenic overmuch arsenic 50% during the Christmas season, which surely suggested its proprietor was reasoning astir closing.

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• T-Mobile launches escaped connection for customers aft large loss

E-commerce income person been growing, and probe shows that large players similar Amazon and Walmart, which run retired of organisation centers, bash interaction section retailers.

"Establishment of an e-commerce fulfillment halfway reduces retail employment maturation successful the big region by an mean of astir 1,000 jobs per quarter," the National Bureau of Economic Research reported.

The nonaccomplishment of a locally-owned store has heavy interaction connected a community.

"In 1 week, 91% of American consumers store astatine tiny and section stores, including implicit 122 million household shoppers," different Capital One survey showed.

• 68% oregon $68 retired of each $100 spent astatine section stores remains successful the section economy.

• American shoppers spent an estimated $3.74 trillion astatine section stores successful 2024, equivalent to 51.5% of each retail sales.

• 8.67% of American tiny businesses are retailers (3.01 million retired of 34.8 cardinal full tiny businesses).

• Founded successful 1976: Sylvester’s Western Wear operated from Kenner, Louisiana, for decades arsenic a section staple successful occidental apparel and boots, according to Manta.

• Sylvester’s Western Wear operated astatine 2600 Williams Blvd. successful Kenner, LA, selling boots, occidental apparel, and accessories to locals and visitors for decades, according to the Chamber of Commerce.

• Community staple with beardown in‑store reputation: In caller years, galore customers praised the store’s personalized service, wide selection, and affable staff, contrasting with big‑box alternatives, according to Sylvester's Western Wear.

• December 2025 closure aft decades: The family‑owned store closed its doors aft decades successful business, with section quality noting its value to the community arsenic a longtime retail fixture, according to Fox 8 Live.

Sylvester’s Western Wear was much than conscionable a spot to bargain boots and belts. It was a section institution.

Customers praised the store for its "friendly, adjuvant unit and wide enactment of boots," qualities that kept shoppers coming backmost implicit the decades. Even those visiting from retired of municipality noted the "personalized work and welcoming atmosphere," making it a standout among section retailers, according to comments made connected the area's Chamber of Commerce website.

Related: Popular acquisition retailer shuts stores, cuts jobs implicit holidays

This communicative was primitively published by TheStreet connected Dec 28, 2025, wherever it archetypal appeared successful the Retail section. Add TheStreet arsenic a Preferred Source by clicking here.