'Time To Retire': Wantagh Store Closing After 6 Decades

WANTAGH, NY — After operating for more than six decades, a staple Wantagh retail store plans to close, according to a report.

Wantagh 5 & 10, a convenience store on Wantagh Avenue known for selling a wide array of household items, will shutter this month, Newsday reported. In doing so, the store joins a long list of brick-and-mortar retailers that, facing fierce competition from a booming e-commerce market, have closed in recent years.

Owner John Norris, 70, told the newspaper he sold the building and that it was "time to retire." Members of the community took to social media to express dismay at the news.

"This...makes me really sad," one poster wrote. "However, the owners are not going out of business, they are retiring happily."

Another poster echoed the sentiments, calling the news "sad."

"The longtime family owned and operated 'throw back discount variety store' is closing," the poster wrote. "The Wantagh 5&10 in downtown Wantagh has been a fixture in the community since 1955. Sad to see another independent store disappear."