By Emily Williams
Saying goodbye to Korduroy Krocodile is bittersweet for owner Lynda Rothoff.
After announcing her retirement on Feb. 23, Rothoff spent her last day at the store on March 6.
The Homewood-based children’s consignment clothing store has been in operation for 39 years at the same location on Linden Avenue. It’s not unusual for Rothoff to run into second generations of shoppers, and she said she will miss them all.
“The other day we had someone in here … . His mother bought clothes for him here and now he is shopping for his children,” she said. “Being here for 39 years, I’ve seen a lot.”
There is a long list of friends she has met through her store that she hopes to continue seeing every so often.
“I can say I haven’t had any terrible people in the store,” she said. “Everyone has been nice. That’s not to say we haven’t had people come in who have had bad mornings, but when they left they were smiling.”
When Rothoff first opened the store, Korduroy Krocodile was one of the first high-end children’s consignment stores in the area.
The business grew quickly, gaining 100 consigners in the first month and expanding over the years in retail space and store offerings, eventually stocking shoes, accessories and toys in addition to clothing.
In her retirement, she doesn’t have any plans for international travel, but she does hope to travel to Tennessee to spend time with her sister and plans to take a road trip to her hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida, to visit family and explore the area.
“I will also just go out for lunch,” she said. “My lunch has always been (at the store) at a little table in the back. So, I’m going to go down, sit somewhere and have lunch on a Wednesday at 1 p.m.”
Though she looks forward to her plans, her entry into retirement is a bittersweet one.
“It has been really hard to say goodbye,” Rothoff said.
Rothoff said that what she will miss most about her days spent at the store are her friends – the old and the new.
