By Denise Allabaugh
The economy has taken a toll on two long-established family businesses in Luzerne County.
Bartikowsky Jewelers, a landmark business in downtown Wilkes-Barre for 125 years, will close its doors in January and is starting a "going out of business" sale on Tuesday, owners Lynn and Mac Ahmad said Friday. Twenty-five people will lose their jobs, and many of them have been employed by the business for decades, they said.
Penn Refrigeration in Hanover Twp., which has been in business for 68 years, laid off about 30 employees on Friday, co-owner Al Finarelli Jr. said Friday. He blamed the layoffs on the economy. When asked if the company will close, Mr. Finarelli responded, "I hope not."
"All we can say is we had a major layoff, and more information will follow," Mr. Finarelli said. "We're early in the process, and we don't know what direction we're going."
Wilkes-Barre resident Butch Modzelewski, 63, a laborer at Penn Refrigeration for nearly 33 years, said the owners and union Local 44 informed workers of the layoffs on Wednesday. He said only about 30 employees remained at the business and there were previous layoffs. Not enough jobs were coming in to the business to keep going, he said.
"Times are tough right now," said the married father of three grown children. "It's tough for a lot of people who have families. I happen to be one of the fortunate ones because I'm already collecting Social Security, but for other people, it's tough."
At Bartikowsky Jewelers, fourth generation owners Mr. and Mrs. Ahmad said they have not sold the business or the building but the economy and their location in downtown Wilkes-Barre have negatively impacted business.
"Business has gone downhill over the years between the Internet and home shopping channels," Mrs. Ahmad said. "There are a lot of reasons our business has slowed. A lot of that has to do with the general economics of our area but primarily being downtown."
Mrs. Ahmad said her uncle Max Bartikowsky, the 82-year-old president and chief executive of the business, has been adamant about staying in downtown Wilkes-Barre and waiting for the "renaissance" but she hasn't seen anything on the retail front that makes the downtown a shopping destination.
"If people want something from us, they have to go out of their way from the malls or from online shopping or TV home shopping. People don't have to get dressed or leave their homes to shop. If they do, they usually go with their clusters of shopping and Wilkes-Barre just hasn't provided that," she said. "We have a number of other jewelry stores in the area that are in better geographic locations."
Mr. Ahmad said since they are both in their 60s and Max Bartikowsky is 82, they decided it was an opportune time to close. The Ahmads' daughters work in other professions and do not plan to continue to the business.
Max Bartikowsky, who has been involved with the business for about 60 years, said he needed to make a decision about the future of the business and with the economy remaining sluggish, it was the right decision to close.
"It had nothing to do with the election," Bartikowsky said. "It just is a down time. ...I never thought I'd see it happen."
Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com