FROM ADA ICON – Ada’s downtown retail centerpiece, Reichert’s clothing store, will close later this summer, says Fred Reichert, owner, who is retiring. For older Bluffton residents, Reichert’s is the “Geiger and Diller” of Ada.
It first opened in 1952 serving several generations of shoppers in its 68 years of existence.
The Ada men, women’s and youth’s clothing store is one of few remaining retail businesses of its type in small towns across northwestern Ohio, having battled the malls and online clothing giants.
Last Thursday’s store closing announcement made on Ada Icon’s Facebook has since reached 26,808 followers resulting in nearly 100 comments from followers.
Comments sounded similar:
“Thank you, Fred Reichert.” – Jeff Leonard
“I am so heartbroken.” – Lee Ann Compton-Zimmerly-Pryor
“Ah, I hate that. They have been a staple of Ada so long.” – Tod Schmidt
“I thought this could happen. This store / family – a community fixture and certainly supported the downtown. But change in retail is afoot on a bigger scale...hard for smaller businesses to survive during these times. Good run Vince and Fred Reichert.” – Karen Condeni
“What a great store had nice clothes very good to my family.” – Robin Wakim
“Noooooooooo.” – Tomi Cheney
Vince Reichert opened for business as a men’s clothing store in 1952 in what is today the Ada Edwards Jones office at 206 N. Main St., Ada.
In 1963, Reichert’s moved to its 111-113 South Main Street expanded location adding women’s clothing to its selection.
Vince’s son, Fred, a 1973 Ada High School grad and 1977 ONU grad, took over the business fulltime following college graduation. Vince retired in the early 1990s.
Posted at the bottom of this story is Reichert’s first-ever newspaper ad from the Ada Herald. That ad listed the following items for men:
• Portis hats from $2.95 to $7.50
• Curlee suits from sizes 36 to 44, $45 value, opening sale $39.95
• Van Huesen ties $1 and $2
• Lee shirts, $3.98; pants, $4.49; Jeet denim overalls, $3.98
Also available in the store at its opening were white, colored and stripes shirts, belts, socks, shorts, sport shirts, slacks, t-shirts, bill folds, men’s tie bars and cuff links and men’s dungarees.
Also posted below are several photos from this month. Currently everything in the store is 50 to 75% off. The store will eventually close later in the summer.
