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New Jersey clothing store closes after nearly 120 years

<p>A New Jersey clothing store will be shutting down after nearly 120 years in business.</p>

News 12 Staff

Sep 7, 2018, 12:12 AM

Updated 2,287 days ago

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A New Jersey clothing store will be shutting down after nearly 120 years in business.
Sam’s Fine Clothing for Gentlemen and Boys has been a mainstay in New Jersey ever since it opened 119 years ago.
The store is owned by cousins Maurice and Jeffery Cohen. The family business was started by their grandfather.
“Originally opened in Newark prior to 1900. So we’ve had a pretty good run,” says Jeffery.
The Cohens’ fathers inherited the business and moved the shop to Livingston in the late 1960s after the Newark riots, and it has been serving the community ever since.
The cousins say that they did not decide to close up shop because of dwindling sales, competition from chains, or high rent, like so many other mom-and-pop shops. They say that they are simply ready to retire and that their adult children already have careers of their own.
“It’s kind of surreal, in my opinion. People are coming in and they’re crying,” says Maurice.
The store is set to officially close sometime in October. For now, they are have a huge going-out-of-business sale.
A physical therapy office will be moving into the space shortly after the clothing shop closes.