Dearborn Adray Store Down For Now . . . But Not Out
First the sad news: after 54 years of serving Dearborn, Adray will close its store for good.
Now the good news: Adray tells DeepSaidWhat.com it likely will reemerge but it just might not be in Dearborn, but more on that later.
Like everyone who has heard the news of Adray closing on all three television news stations Thursday night, we too are deeply saddened to see a Dearborn icon close its doors. Adray wasn’t just another store in Dearborn but one that sponsored little league baseball teams, hockey teams and provided scholarships to Henry Ford Community College. I played on dozens of Adray baseball teams as a kid and still have a few of my baseball hats with the famous “A” on them.
Adray was best known for its camera business.
Adray was and is probably best known for its camera selection and having the MOST knowledgeable and friendly staff anywhere. At one time, it also had one of the best stereo sound system selections, too, and a great staff to go with it.
But as the big box electronics stores moved in, Adray had to change and its offerings were pared down a bit, too. Part of that had to do with a fickle public, many who live in our city.
Sure they will all say they want a local store and a friendly staff who remembers their name when they walk in the door, but these same people would toss that to the side to save $20 bucks on a purchase from Best Buy, Costco or Wal Mart. Adray, who? they probably said as they slipped the Andrew Jackson into their pocket. That’s how some roll when it comes to supporting our own in this town. So sad.
The purchasing power of those big box stores was also something Adray couldn’t compete with any more. Where Adray might purchase 20 or 30 of the hotest new electronic gizmos or TVs or whatever, the big boxes were purchasing train car loads full of them. Now who do you think the manufacturer is going to give a better price to?
George Bednar, Adray vice president and general manager, tells DeepSaidWhat.com that it was a combination of those things along with “not being easy to find” and the high costs associated with keeping a 23,000 square foot building maintained.
“We gave it our best effort,” said Bednar, a 31-year employee of Adray. “The people have been wonderful. Many stopped in today just to tell us they would miss us. It has been very special.”
So in an e-mail blast to its e-mail customers Wednesday night, Adray let out the bad news. It would be “retiring” its Dearborn store, the note said. All day Thursday, the store was packed full of people and right up until close, the camera counter was packed with customers. The same is expected over the weekend after full page advertisements in Friday’s Detroit News and Detroit Free Press announce the same, saying Adray is throwing a Retirement sale.
The “retirement” part is a key distinction here. This isn’t a going out of business sale. Saying that would make it legally more difficult to reopen again, which Adray will most likely do, but with a smaller footprint.
“It’s a retirement sale. We are retiring the Dearborn store,” Bednar said. “You will probably see us reemerge but I can’t say when or where. We would like to continue in a smaller location. We may have an announcement before we close.”
Let’s hope so.
February 20th, 2009 at 12:41 am
very sad
just as an addition to your story, don’t forget how the internet has brought down these stores as well. Heck, it put Circuit City out of business.
February 20th, 2009 at 6:08 am
I wish them nothing but the best. Retail is a very tough business. Especially for an independent. And this is a rotten period to launch a new business.
February 20th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
I’d say Circuit City put itself out of business. If you’ve ever been to MicroCenter, it’s pretty clear that Circuit City was a dinosaur.
As for Adray, can’t really say as I haven’t been there in years, but I wish them the best.
February 20th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Too bad, as I hear the former manager (?) Zolton, ex-husband of Debbie Adray, is back here in Dearborn. Seems Adray’s always did better when he was in the picture.
February 20th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
It is sad. Dearborn people don’t know how to support their own. They’ll drive 20 minutes to save $5 when they could have purchased it in the city the live. And now they wonder why we don’t have more small mom and pop shops? someone turn off the lights on the way out. this is the start of many more to come in Dearborn. just watch.
February 21st, 2009 at 12:51 am
Yes, the service aspect of a store like adray will be missed, but lets face it, the savings of the big-box stores like best buy and even white trash wal-mart can’y be beat.
I am not a fan of wal-mart for the cheap china made products they carry that continue to flood our nation, but the dumb-ass public continues to buy their junk and in turn, destroy employment here.
Adray, has done a lot ove rthe years, no argument there, but if people really cared about the “folksy” bullshit then they wouldn’t be closing.
February 21st, 2009 at 7:56 am
Confused: that is exactly my point. Dearborn folks don’t give a crap about the folksy feel small, locally owned stores provide. so forget about having good local stuff. it will be chain crap. can you say Country Buffet and Dollar Store?
February 21st, 2009 at 9:52 am
Some Dearborn residents SAY all the time that they care about these small, locally owned stores, then they SHOP in the Wal Marts or even worse out of the city, then these same Dearborn residents COMPLAIN about us losing these wonderful ‘ma and pa’ businesses.
In my opinion, the individual item savings of $5.00 up to even $20 in a Wal Mart type store is not worth the millions in losses it costs Dearborn and furthermore if the city loses these businesses it ends up costing all of us with higher taxes and lost services, something no one likes to see happen.
One doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize that if we show little to no loyalty to the ‘family’ of businesses that have invested in us, then the ‘family’ we once had will desert us and I cannot say I blame them for deserting us under those circumstances.
February 21st, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Just heard of this story, and am very sad indeed. The family has been good to Dearborn over the years, and they should have gone on and on, out of loyalty to what they have done for the kids (who are now adults), in Dearborn. They may close their doors but they won’t be forgotten. Good luck Louise and Debbie.
February 22nd, 2009 at 10:04 am
Even if Adray doesn’t resurface elsewhere Mike Adrays benovelence to Dearborn will still be around. It seems the Adray family will keep the Adray Company Foundation alive and well funded and will continue to
support Dearborn civic groups, recreational organizations and charities.
In my opinion, Mike Adray and his family continue to be a blessing to Dearborn and let’s hope that their store again resurfaces somewhere in the town they loved and helped so much for over 50 years…
December 6th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
you have to be kidding Zol?…lol…