A staple in Prince George's County is preparing to close its doors after 37 years of serving the community.
Linen World was a one-stop shop for customers looking to spruce up their homes, but the owners of a store —one that transformed houses into homes — have decided to close.
"Being a part of the community, the customers — we service more of our older customers, and they really appreciate having that one-on-one interaction,” initial owner Dee Gaister said.
Sisters bonding over a great deal and families stopping by to find the right sheets — "finding those special little things that they don’t find in other stores" — were just a few memorable customer stories for Gaister, the store's initial owner.
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Patrecia Williams spent years shopping at Linen World, trying to find those special trinkets, before joining the team herself.
"But 24 years, I actually came to the store. A lot of times, in the store, I would come to the store; I would help the participants; I would help the people that are here, as if I worked here," she said. "Because it’s all about relationships."
Linen World has been a family-run business in Oxon Hill for nearly four decades.
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The company says over the years, they’ve taken pride in going the extra mile, making customers feel appreciated while supplying the essentials: comforters, towel and shower curtains, to name a few.
"We provide customer service that a lot of places don’t, picking out linens and stuff for your home requires matching colors and styles, and I think we’ve really excelled at that," Jason Gaister said. He took over the business three years ago.
He says a few factors during the past year led to the difficult decision to close.
"Unfortunately, there’s just a lot of competition coming from China and coming from the big box retailers, and we just — we can’t keep up," he said.
Rather than up-charging customers and trying to keep up with a changing business model, Linen World decided this month that everything must go.
"We're going to be missed by the community, and we’re going to miss the community," Jason Gaister said. "Our customers are great; our employees are great; we’ve loved working with everyone while we had the opportunity, but it’s certainly bittersweet."
The owners say they plan to close their doors when all their inventory is gone. They plan to raise their final sale discounts each week until all items are off the shelves.
