Saturday I needed a birthday card so I got in the car and did what I’ve done for the last 30 some years: I drove down Las Olas to Grand Central Stationery. To my surprise, it was closed, with no sign in the window.
“I think they’re going out of business,” a passerby said, pointing out the bare display window.
This morning I went online. There was no mention of closing on the store’s website, but in the store’s profile the words “Temporarily Closed” were highlighted in red.
The “Temporarily” is giving me hope, but not a lot. I am generally a fan of the downtown development; more people means more restaurants and cafes, and the high rises they live in give us more shade. But they also raise the rents, pushing out small businesses like specialty card shops. I fear that Las Olas will become like Atlantic Avenue in Delray, a street people come to only to eat.
