2008.12.23
Agnew Seed's last day
Today is the last day in business for a downtown Roanoke seed shop. Pat Agnew is closing Agnew Seed on Market Street. The shop opened in 1897.
But since July, the well-known seed shop that sells seed products and gardening supplies has been a troubling place for Agnew. Kent Agnew, her husband and the owner, was found dead in the store in July.
"It's got bad memories in here," Pat Agnew told me. "I don't feel like running it anymore."
She began helping her husband at the seed shop in 1998, after she retired from a career as a nurse.
After his death, she closed Agnew Seed and reopened it in September on a part-time basis.
Pat Agnew said she's ready to be free of running the business and have more time to spend with her grandchildren and her mother.
She owns the building that houses Agnew Seed, and she's in the process of finding a buyer. It's unclear if a new owner will reopen the seed business. Some potential buyers have expressed interest in running the shop, though the future of this historic storefront is unknown.
Another Market Street retailer is shutting its doors this month. Rita Bruffey, who owns Good Things on the Market, is retiring and closing her candy and gift shop after 23 years in business. Read more about it in my Sunday retail column.
The above photo was taken by Roanoke Times photographer Jeanna Duerscherl.
If the shop closes and does not re-open as a different seed store, it will be another pretty sad day, though nothing like what the Agnews have endured recently. I loved going in there to get seeds and some hard to find hardware items. It was always one of my favorite stops when I came to downtown.
Comment by Other John — December 23, 2008 @ 11:29 am
So sad.
Comment by Debbie — December 23, 2008 @ 5:15 pm
I hope someone will take this on. It is an important part of Roanoke's past and should be a continuing part of Roanoke's future. Many of us have been shopping there all of our lives.
Comment by Weldon Martin — December 23, 2008 @ 11:56 pm
So sad indeed. I still remember going to Agnew's years ago along with a lot of other stores that my parents shopped at downtown.
Anyone remember the likes of Lazarus, Samuel Spiegel, Miller & Rhodes, Smartwear Irving Saks, Mitchell's or the old S&W Cafeteria? The landscape of downtown Roanoke has changed a lot over the years...some for the good, some for the not so good. The holidays always bring a flood of fond memories back. Those were the days to say the least!
Comment by Will — December 24, 2008 @ 11:28 am