CLEVELAND — A beloved downtown Cleveland business staple has permanently closed its doors.
On Tuesday, Geiger's announced that its downtown store at 1020 Euclid Avenue, closed since June 2020, will not re-open as it struggles to cope with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The retailer of men’s and women’s clothing, snowsports gear and equipment has been in business for 89 years in Northeast Ohio and has been downtown since 2015.
“The COVID pandemic has caused a decline for retailers everywhere,” Chas Geiger, president of Geiger's said in a statement, “and we’re no exception. The closing of downtown offices, lack of sporting and other large-crowd events, the shuttering of Playhouse Square, restaurant downturn and severely reduced hotel occupancy have left us with minimal foot traffic, something essential to a retailer of our size.”
Geiger says his family remains committed to northeast Ohio and will continue to serve customers at its stores in Lakewood and Chagrin Falls. He adds the family is always open to new ideas and new ways to reach Clevelanders.
“We are interested in the downtown area, hope it has a terrific rebound and would certainly consider returning if conditions were right,” he said.
Geiger’s, founded in 1932, is managed by brothers Chas and Gordon Geiger and their wives, Patti and Susan, representing the third generation of Geigers to provide a personalized shopping experience. They are assisted by Geiger’s fourth generation – daughter Christy and son John.
The grandfather of Chas and Gordon Geiger owned stores downtown over a century ago.
“Everyone we worked with downtown was devoted to and excited about the area’s resurgence. We give special thanks to Downtown Cleveland Alliance, The Gateway Historic Neighborhood Corp., Playhouse Square and our landlord, CRM Companies Inc, for their support over the time we were open. We are grateful to our loyal Downtown Cleveland customers and hope they will continue to shop with us online at shopgeigers.com and at our suburban locations,” added executive vice president Gordon Geiger.
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Editor's Note: The below video aired on January 5, 2021