Some time ago, I wrote about the closing of the Ben Franklin Hardware Store in Pembroke, a half-century-old county staple. Over the past year, more than one business in the county, many in and around Pembroke, have suffered the same fate in the wake of our economic recession.

One of the more surprising casualties is the Something’s Fishy market on the outskirts of town, right off route 460. While it seemed an odd idea when it opened several years ago, the Giles-area fish market (specializing in flash-frozen fish) operated for more than a few years before abruptly closing its doors. As a patron myself, I knew the shop had a loyal customer base, so I was surprised to see the building empty a mere few weeks after talking with the owner about her plans for expanding the business.

Over the past year, the Pembroke area has seen increased activity in local outfitter and river-oriented businesses taking advantage of the community’s proximity to the New River. The river banks in Pembroke are a popular camping and put-in destination for river revelers, and the city’s successful river festival in summer 2009 was a strong indicator of the draw activities on the New can have.

One economic success story of the past year is Canoe The New’s move from Pearisburg to Pembroke. The relatively new outfitter business offers canoeing and kayaking trips down the river at very competitive prices. The new location is comprised of a large log cabin just of route 460, just outside of town. Yet, it is perhaps the success of Canoe The New that put the long-standing New River Canoe Livery out of business, located less than a mile down 460. Add to this the additional competition brought by Tangent Outfitters (at the corner of 460 and Cascade Dr), and one begins to get the picture that there just weren’t enough river tourists to go around during the recession this past summer.

An additional casualty of river-oriented businesses vying for local and tourist attention was a Christian-themed garden and outdoor center, located directly across from Tangent Outfitters. Despite the nicely refurbished log-cabin style building, the niche market the store sought simply could not catch on.

Other Pembroke-area businesses that have closed their doors over the past year is Tickle’s Service Station/Cafe, a long-standing community hub, and a newfound gift shop located next to the Giles Convenience Center (this one only made it a few months).

Elsewhere in the county, Pearisburg’s Courthouse Cafe closed its doors this past spring, and the town’s upscale restaurant, The Bank, also shut down. However, word on the street is that the latter will be re-opening with a new kitchen staff soon.

Empty and abandoned buildings are always a depressing sight. In my estimation, there are far too many of them in both rural and urban America, and it only becomes exacerbated during difficult economic times. Familiar local businesses that may have otherwise weathered the hardship, as well as promising new ones, can no longer afford to stay open.

On a different note, downtown Pembroke saw another successful Halloween with its masses of trick or treaters from around the county. The spooky holiday arrived just in time with peak autumn colors, and a mere handful of days later, many of those leaves have blown to the ground. Early November reminds us of how wonderful September and October were, and also reminds us that things are going to get colder soon.

Finally, don’t forget the annual television auction, happening in Narrows, VA, next week! I’ve already written about that one a few times.

John Hildreth lives in Pembroke, VA, teaches at Radford University, and plays in the Contra Dance band Dot Dot Dash.