After 70 years, Schulman closes Main Street business

By Rose Hooper

"I never wanted to leave the store; I wanted to be carried out," Sol Schulman said when he was forced to close the doors to his Main Street business Tuesday, Oct. 29.

But health reasons, including advanced Parkinson's disease, forced the 90-year-old businessman to walk away from his establishment, a Main Street fixture for 70 years. Schulman holds the record for being in the same downtown Sylva spot longer than any other merchant.

"I loved that store; I hated to give it up," Schulman said. "Business has always been good. In my 70 years at the store, I did have some lean years, but I never had a bad year - one where I didn't make money.

Schulman is leaving care of the store to his sons, David Schulman of Asheville and Herbert of Cullowhee. The building, which Schulman's father had built in 1931 for $4,000, is currently for lease, while the inventory is for sale.

"There's a quarter million dollars worth of inventory in the store... it's good merchandise; some of the finest clothing in the country," said Schulman, who ordered his first $5,000 worth of merchandise from the New York City Merchandise Mart on a gutsy bluff.

Schulman attributed his long-standing success in the merchandising business to hard work, wise investments, always being honest with his customers and "never knowing what the word 'no' meant."

As for his health, especially his tight joints, Schulman said he is "doing as well as can be expected."

"Now I sit at home, watch a little TV, and say, 'Thank God for the 70 years I had at the store.' After all, how many 90-year-olds do you know who are still in business?" he said.

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