Lois Stritt may help run the future furniture and home décor store
By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
Bradley’s Department Store in downtown Delavan was set to close at the end of 2020. The building was sold to Fred Gahl of Lake Geneva and Gahl seemingly had other plans for the space.
Lois Stritt, after owning the store for 10 years and working there for several years before that, has been in the process of closing the store since finding out about the sale of the building. While the store will close as a clothing store, Gahl has decided to retain the Bradley’s name and reopen it as a furniture and home décor store.
Gahl owns an estate liquidation business called 281 Sheridan Springs Estate Sales in Lake Geneva that he says is the largest estate liquidator in the Midwest. He said he has heard a lot of rumors about his plans for the Bradley’s site. What he settled on is a store in which he can sell his inventory from the estate liquidation business.
Gahl said after purchasing the building, he became fascinated with the history of Delavan and Bradley’s as possibly the oldest department store in America at 168 years old.
He said Bradley’s is an important part of Delavan and he plans to maintain its original appearance as much as he can in an effort to keep the tradition of Bradley’s alive, even if the items for sale will be different than what people are used to.
The decision to sell furniture and home décor instead of keeping Bradley’s a clothing store, Gahl said, was rooted in the current business climate. He said because of the pandemic and the state of the economy, selling clothing just isn’t profitable right now. Gahl said he believes offering an “excellent” product line in furniture and home décor at reasonable prices can be successful.
Gahl said his focus is on maintaining Bradley’s as a store but taking it in a new direction. He said there is a big market for consignment furniture as many people are looking to downsize while others are moving to the area.
The Bradley’s building got on Gahl’s radar when it became available at a reasonable price. He said he has been looking for additional space for years and was encouraged to come to downtown Delavan because of the new development that has been cropping up lately.
“I am very aware of the adjacent and other development around the building,” Gahl said.
The Treasury recently opened downtown, Boxed and Burlap is opening a third location right next door to Bradley’s, and the former cinema is being renovated. Gahl said he hopes his business can grow and prosper alongside those other new businesses.
“I hope the community supports it so we can do more to develop the property,” Gahl said.
‘Landmark personality’
While the transition of Bradley’s to a furniture and home décor store means the end of an era as a clothing store, it may not be the end for Stritt. Gahl said he has offered Stritt a job in the new store and she is leaning toward taking it.
“I’m going to need something to do,” Stritt said. “I have a lot of energy for a little old lady.”
Stritt said she told Gahl she would be interested in a job as long as she did not have to use a computer.
“If he’d like me to be here, I’d like to be here,” she said.
Stritt said her customers have become her friends and she would look forward to having them stop in to see what Gahl does with the store. She also said being able to simply work at the store rather than owning it would be less stressful for her.
Stritt said she is happy the Bradley’s name will live on.
“It’s better than having a closed store,” she said. “It’s better to have something in here than nothing after 168 years.”
Gahl said having Stritt be part of the new venture would be a big plus.
“She is a landmark personality,” Gahl said of Stritt. “It will be great to have her if she wants to, I would love to have her involved in carrying on the tradition of Bradley’s.”
Bill McKoy, who sold Bradley’s to Stritt 10 years ago, said Stritt has done a good job running the store over the years.
McKoy said in the past 168 years, Bradley’s has survived numerous presidents, difficult financial times and the replacement of the brick street on which it resides. Just last month, McKoy said he would be sad to see the Bradley’s name go. Now he won’t have to.
Gahl said he will close on the building purchase on Jan. 22 and plans to be open in the Bradley’s location three to four months after that. He said he wants to reopen the right way after cleaning the building out and making some cosmetic changes.
He said he already has plenty of inventory for the new Bradley’s and plans to be open as close to full time as he can, depending on COVID-19 restrictions and traffic in the store.
