Being in business for 102 years, the Housatonic Lumber Co. in Derby has weathered many ups and downs, but it couldn't survive the current recession.
The company has shut its doors for good and been forced out of business by the severe decline in the housing market.
"Their closing will definitely affect me. I relied on them for all my building supplies, versus buying materials at the big-box stores," Carl Yacobacci, the owner of Yacobacci Custom Carpentry, told the New Haven Register. Yacobacci said he's been buying his materials from Housatonic Lumber for 20 years.
"This was a shock, and it's definitely going to affect the downtown," Yacobacci told the paper.
Housatonic Lumber opened in 1907.
"I'm sure it's been hard not to be out-priced by places like Home Depot and Lowe's," the city's economic development director, Sheila O'Malley told the Connecticut Post.
Derby Mayor Anthony Staffieri called the shop an institution in town.
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"It is so sad that a business of their caliber would go out," Staffieri told the Register. "Just two years ago, we were celebrating their 100th year.
