Paul’s Discount, longtime resident of 424 IA-1, Iowa City, Iowa, will be closing their doors July 31 after over 36 years of business.

The history of Paul’s began in Clinton, Iowa, in 1964. Paul Cassidy, along with his son, Bob, planned to open a store in Sterling, Illinois. However, after spending a night in Clinton, they discovered where it truly belonged.

For 17 years, the Clinton location of Paul’s ran strong until, in 1981, the opportunity to expand to a second location was presented. Ken Ranshaw, owner of Ken’s Auto and Farm Store, approached the Cassidys with an offer to sell his shop, which he opened in 1962.

While Paul Cassidy was not on board at first, Bob Cassidy managed to convince him, with the prospect of a new location in a more dynamic market like Iowa City, rather than that of a more cyclical one in a manufacturing town like Clinton.

Upon purchasing the location, the Cassidys invited then manager Joe Tobin to become a partner of Paul’s Iowa City branch, which he ran from 1981 to 2004.

During its time in Iowa City, Paul’s has garnered a host of devoted shoppers. The friendly neighborhood feel of the store pulls customers away from large chain stores.

“Paul’s appeals to me because of the variety, the no frills, the history behind it,” Nick Millhollin, an Iowa City resident and longtime shopper, said. “It’s in a sense a local neighborhood store – that my family and many Iowa Citians have used.”

Millhollin, 39, has been going to Paul’s since he was a child, and frequently takes his kids there as a treat and lets them pick out fun items.

“It was a sad day when I heard they were closing.” Millhollin said.

Current owner and operator Rob Cassidy, grandson of Paul, attributes this decline to the changing of the economy and technology, making it difficult to compete with the pricing of stores like Walmart with huge amounts of capital at their disposal.

Rob has been involved in the company since the 1980s, and the decision to close the location came to him and his board of directors. They made attempts to sell to potential partners, however nobody showed any serious interest.

“I know it’s the right decision, but it’s one that I hate making,” Rob Cassidy said. “The board knows it’s the right thing to do. We built a business for over 54 years, and now our priority is to take care of our employees.”

Rob Merritt, director of communications for the Iowa City Chamber of Commerce, says that it is sad to see this beloved staple of Iowa City go.

“There’s always going to be businesses that are not able to stay open,” Merritt said. “As trends change, businesses lose customers, and it’s a shame to see a longstanding location like this go.”