Doug Baker opened the doors to The Other Place, 43 S. Court St., 25 years ago. In February, he will officially close them.
Baker, the owner of the retail store, said it is time for him to begin his retirement plan after working 44 years in the retail industry.
“Fourty-four is enough,” Baker said.
He said the store should close by the end of February. Prices are now being marked down to begin the phases of liquidation.
Doug Baker poses for a portrait inside of ‘The Other Place’, Doug has owned and operated the store for 25 years.
“I’m sure some things will go down as we get closer, but we will need to liquidate most of the merchandise,” Baker said. “There is some stock I can move to my other store.”
Baker rents the building and said he is aware the landlord has had inquiries about a new business to come in its place, but he said there has not been anything definite.
Mikayla Knox has worked at The Other Place for three months. She said she is now going to start looking for another job.
“I’m sad that it’s closing, but I’m happy for Doug that he gets to retire,” Knox said. “I want to work at a bar now because I’ve done that stuff before and enjoy it.”
Her favorite part of the job is talking to customers, she said.
“I like making small talk with customers and helping them find stuff,” Knox said.
Maura Leneghan said she is sad for The Other Place to close because she likes to frequent all of the uptown retail shops. She said she has shopped at The Other Place for recruitment outfits.
“I think it’s modern and trendy and has a lot of different options,” Leneghan, a freshman studying early childhood education, said.
Baker has two other retail stores — one in Logan and the other in Circleville. He said he chose to close the one in Athens because it is the greatest distance from his house.
“It made the most sense to begin here,” Baker said. “I appreciate the students’ support over the past 25 years. It was a difficult decision to make.”
