SHEBOYGAN FALLS – Barbie dolls, yarn and Christmas ornaments of nearly every kind fill the shelves from floor to ceiling in the last Evans store at 117 Pine St.

The first Evans store was established in 1936 in Sheboygan and grew to have six locations across Sheboygan and Manitowoc counties by 1965. But by 2016, only two locations remained: one in Kiel and one in Sheboygan Falls. That number fell to one in February when the Kiel store, which was open for about 70 years, closed, citing a declining customer base.

The same won't be true for the Sheboygan Falls location, though, which owner Ed Evanoff said enjoyed a "boom year" in 2021, especially for clothing sales.

Selling specialty items, like Breyer Horses and Lionel train products, and larger selections of mass merchandise products, like puzzles and board games, Evanoff diversifies to find a niche among big box retailers.

“I would say that we're basically 10 specialty stores in one,” Evanoff said.

Evans also offers fabric, yarn, greeting cards, stationery, home décor, health and beauty products, hosiery, women’s clothing and children’s clothing. The store also has over 5,000 toys, which Evanoff said accounts for 35% of sales.

With so many years in business, Evanoff has developed long-lasting relationships with companies, sometimes making him an exclusive seller. To his knowledge, he’s the only independent partner to sell Mattel products in Wisconsin and the only store in the county to sell Precious Moments figurines, Evanoff said.

Evanoff said the store has never lost money, even during 2020.

"Some years we made a little more money. Some years we made a little less money, but we've always been profitable,” Evanoff said.

Evanoff said the two most important things that continue to make the store viable are its staff and its customers.

In addition to regulars, Evans has seen more people come from areas outside of the county, like Green Bay, Appleton, Fond du Lac and Milwaukee.

“I would estimate that 10% of our business is from customers outside of Sheboygan County, (and) it used to be about 5%,” Evanoff said.

At the moment, however, business is not improving, he said.

Like many businesses, Evans is feeling the pressure of inflation this year as people limit their discretionary spending.

More:First lockdowns, now inflation: How Sheboygan businesses have adapted in pandemic Year 3

"What we're finding is … kitchen gadget sales are just fine, like that type of thing,” Evanoff said. “But like in toy sales, where they (customers) bought a $200 toy or $150 toy, now maybe they'll buy a $100 toy. Where they were buying a $100 toy, now they're going to buy maybe a $75 or $50 toy.”

He is anticipating the store will continue to deal with inflation issues next year, as economists predict the United States will enter a recession.

“You don't buy furniture, you don't buy TVs, you don't buy cars. You don't go out to dinner as often,” he said.

Evanoff expects sales for items used at home, like kitchenware and décor, to increase.

There is some disagreement among economists, however — many say the downturn could be mild compared to the COVID-19 recession and Great Recession that resulted in a roughly 10% decrease and 4% decrease in gross domestic product and a loss of 22 million and about 9 million jobs, respectively.

Predictions say next year could bring a 1.2% decrease in gross domestic product and a nearly 2% increase in unemployment.

“We’ll be fine,” Evanoff said. “But I don't expect a great year.”

Contact Alex Garner at 224-374-2332 or agarner@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @alexx_garner. 

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Evans has one store left in Sheboygan Falls, but has survived COVID, inflation