Downtown legacy business Cookie Stationery is to close.

As a partner in Cooke’s Stationery Company, Colin Henry has seen the birth of products and their obsolescence.

She sold the eight-inch disks that became memory sticks that disappeared from the shelves when data moved into the cloud.

Now, after seeing the business through more than four decades of technological change and leading the charge to keep downtown Salem alive during the pandemic, Henry is saying goodbye to the longtime family business.

After 88 years of selling office supplies, Cook’s Stationery will close its doors for the last time at the end of the day on April 28.

Henry is the third generation owner of the store. Her maternal grandfather purchased the JK Gill Company in 1935 and moved the store to its current location at 370 State Street, formerly the White House Restaurant.

Her father, James Henry, started working in the store when he returned from service in World War II and bought the business in 1957. In 1971, he acquired a nearby location, doubling the size of the store.

Both buildings are located on the Adolph Block, part of the National Register of Historic Places and commemorated by a plaque bearing the name Cook’s Stationery.

In the year A 1974 nomination form for the registry lists jewelers, watchmakers, the State Democrat newspaper, a meat market and a saloon as early tenants in the late 1800s, when downtown Salem still had dirt roads.

James Henry died in 1987, leaving Colleen and her brother Kip Henry to manage the store.

“The timing was very sad, because he died young, and we were kind enough to be thrown into the fire,” she said. Kip is still a partner but retired from active involvement in 2013.

“Our staff has been fantastic over the years. They’ve helped us through so many changes,” she said.

On Friday, March 10, the sales floor was filled with office supplies and stacks of paper and toner, and customers began browsing the sale items.

One is assisted by purchasing agent Roma Walter, who started working at Cook 32 years ago.

Before Walter moved to the Salem area, she worked at another supply store in Corvallis, and coincidentally bought her house from Colleen and Kip’s parents.

“Office supply stores are generally fun for me,” Walter said.

She does purchasing for the store and keeps track of the non-computerized inventory on paper and in her head.

Walter tears up as he talks about his owners.

“They’re good people, and they have a good set of values. The values ​​are: being present to the community, being present to the people who are loyal to you,” she said. “And it’s wonderful. It is very touching. too bad”

She said she would like to thank Walter Henrys for the opportunity to work for them. She said she would take time to raise a family and give her family-oriented leadership. Her baby was just six months old when she started.

“I could have worked other places, probably made more money, but nothing compares to being able to work for them,” Walter said.

Cookie workers shined during the pandemic shutdown, Retail Secretary Robin Bielefeld led efforts to create a Salem Convenience Walk to support 25 local businesses, and Free Fridge Salem opened a drop box for food donations.

“We were trying to do anything to help the restaurants, our neighbors,” Henry said.

Cook continued his work by meeting customers at the door with the supplies they needed.

Although things have improved since that lockout, she said, business is not the same as before. Their main customers are office workers, and sales have not recovered.

Henry and her brother made the decision to close around December, she said. They intend to sell the business, but they also want to sell the buildings they own.

On March 1st, they sent a letter to their customers informing them of the delivery deadline, March 30th, and the retirement sale that would be held in April.

They see many of their long-term customers every week.

“Some have brought in their grandchildren. “I miss the people the most,” she said.

When the long closing process is over, Henry hopes to be involved in the community as a volunteer.

“I love downtown Salem. People either hate it or love it. I love it, it’s a community in itself, and I’m lucky to be a part of that community,” she says. “I’m harsh on Salem…I think like every town it has its problems and issues, but still a small town that can work on issues.

Henry is sad to leave, but says she’s looking forward to having time to breathe and take some trips to the beach. She has a passion for maintaining spaces in local antique malls, selling antiques.

Mid-interview, when asked about the comings and goings of technology, Henry jumps out of her seat and points to an antique typewriter in the back room.

A heavy black LC Smith & Bros with a red ribbon that she thinks was left over when the shop was renovated. Although she did not know his exact age, she said it predated the 1926 merger of that company and the Corona Typewriter Company.

Typewriters are among the once obsolete items that are making a comeback. A lot of young kids are coming in excited to see the bushes still available for sale.

Technology is advancing, she says. Blacksmiths still make horseshoes, but they’re not as needed on every street corner as they used to be.

“It’s mixed feelings. The office supply industry has really changed. Nationwide, many traditional places like ours have gone out of business. So I think I’m a little bit proud that we lasted as long as we did,” she said. “It’s not good to end a third generation business, but everything ends, and it’s the right decision. And here we are.”

Customers are showing their support, she said. She hopes the retirement sale in April will bring everyone a sense of closure and a chance to say goodbye.

“I’m just grateful for how much support and love the community has given us. That’s a little flowery, but it’s been really sweet about this whole process,” she says.

Contact reporter Abby MacDonald: [email protected] or 503-704-0355.

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