Customers upset over Harris' Clothing closing

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Glenn Harris' phone is ringing off the hook with calls from customers. But they're not calling with questions about orders, items, or inventory.

They're wondering what they'll do now that Harris’ has announced it is closing.

For 87 years Harris' Clothing has been a mainstay of Main Street in Toms River, selling everything from graduation suits to Girl and Boy Scout uniforms.

Everything now is 50 percent off and customers are now popping in for one last purchase, singing the blues.

“How they treated their customers and their type of service that they would give them, you don’t see that in too many stores anymore. You know, you just knew you could get what you need in here,” Longtime customer, Kim Dippolito stated.

“You see in the paper, and you see their store, and you see the history that you’ve forgotten about and you think ‘wow’, it’s an end of an era,” Longtime customer, Liz Thompson said. 

To be clear, the Harrises are going out of business by choice, not by force. Business has always been good, said Glenn, who has catered to his clientele for decades along with his wife, Christine, who runs the women's shop.

Why now?  While there's still time, the Harrises say.

Glenn said his best friend recently passed away unexpectedly, and that caused him to look at life differently and take stock of the time he and Christine have left.

They want to travel, to see national parks, to spend the winter in Florida, and their planning to retire.

“Most of our friend’s husbands are not in good health, they’ve got brain tumors, they’ve got heart trouble, and it just reminds you of your immortality, you know, not that we’re old but the point is every day you know the numbers get bigger and it just seems that we ought to have time for ourselves and enjoy life a little bit,” Glenn explained.

When they'll finally close the doors is undecided but, Glenn said sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The Harrises own the building the store is in so they'll continue to rent to other tenants. And they'll rent the space the store occupies when the time comes and a new tenant comes forward.