September 22, 1994
Marfa, Presidio Winn’s follows Alpine store in closing
By STERRY BUTCHER
FAR WEST TEXAS — Winn’s, the dime store which was once a feature of small towns throughout rural Texas, is closing its remaining 81 stores.
The Marfa and Presidio stores have begun their going-out-of-business sales, while the Alpine location closed several weeks ago. The closures will affect about 1,200 employees.
The San Antonio-based company filed in February under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code to reorganize its $38 million debt. “We found out last week we were closing,” said Farrell Cobb, manager of the Marfa Winn’s. “How long we’ll be here will depend on how fast the merchandise sells out, somewhere around 8 to 12 weeks.”
The closure of the Marfa location will affect four employees. Alpine Chamber of Commerce Executive Director David Busey said that the gap left by Winn’s has already been filled. A Dollar General Store has moved into the former Winn’s location, said Busey, and is expected to open around September 29, after some remodeling work is completed. “The downtown area is attracting new business, new dealers whenever buildings vacate,” he said. “Downtown business space is pretty much filled to capacity. I attribute that to economic development awareness we’ve fostered here over the last two or three years. Working together with the city, we’ve created a viable economic climate.”
Robert Baker, vice president of the Marfa Chamber of Commerce, plans to bring up discussion about the Winn’s closure at the September 29 chamber meeting. “I’d love to see someone else move in there,” Baker said, “but I don’t know who. This is something we’ve got to get some momentum on, we’ve got to get aggressive.”