Dorman's Lighting Closes After Nearly 80 Years in Business

Another local Jewishfamily-owned business has bitten the dust. Dorman’s Lighting and Design inLutherville-Timonium recently closed its doors after a 78-year run.

Jmore recently spoke with thecompany’s longtime president, StanDorman, a Monkton resident, about the decision to close.

Jmore:Why close up shop now?

Dorman: We decided to close nowafter the decline in sales became too much. We all tried to fight against theonline shopping incline for years, but it got to be a lost cause.

How has the lighting businesschanged since you first got into it?

Things now have gotten more technical, andaesthetics have been added to other stores. I stayed with lighting, which isharder to maintain good sales and stay afloat.

What has online shoppingdone to businesses like yours?

When I was a kid, Iwould go with my grandmother to the local square block shopping center, andthere would be someone selling shoes, seafood, etc. My grandmother would knowall these venders, and people were attached to the stores they would shop in.People would look forward to going to these shops.

We have maintained thistype of relationship with our regular customers, but the public prefers the convenienceof online shopping like Amazon, and they do not care about the localrelationships.

Dorman’s Lighting andDesign is one of many Jewish family-owned businesses in the area to closerecently. Did that impact your decision?

Hearing about the wave ofstores shutting down makes it more frustrating. Not just hardware but everygenre of store is closing due to people’s reliance on their technology.Whygo into your car and drive to a store when you can sit in bed and add what youneed to a virtual cart?

How did Dorman’sLighting and Design start out?

The store opened as alighting, design and hardware company in 1941.

Who started thebusiness?

My father did when I wasa year old. I began taking inventory and dusting shelves at five years old.

What did you learn fromyour family elders who were running the business?

I learned everything Iknow about business from my parents. My parents taught me that maintainingintegrity in your relationships is the biggest payoff in the end.

When did you take over?

I was 32 when my father died. That was when I knew I needed to step up and take over his position.

Were you ready?

It didn’t occur to me tonot go into the business because I had been raised to believe that was my destiny.I was raised to do this. I went along with it, and ultimately I fell in lovewith the business.

Did that remain thecase?

I simply got to notenjoy it as much. I decided to retire and sold my interest in the business. Iwas prepared to follow my heart and go to law school, but then the company wentbankrupt three years after I left. Instead, I got my MBA and ended up buyingback the lighting side of the company.

What was the secret toyour business’s longevity?

Creating a relationshipwith the customers is the reason any business does not close after threemonths. If a customer feels comfortable entering your shop, it can become asort of distraction and pastime for them. That one customer can turn into 20and so on. A couple conversations with a customer can ignite a boom for yourcompany.

Also, wehave maintained a base of designers and builders. An average employee has beenaround 20 years. Almost everybody [stayed] until the end.

What will happen to youremployees?

My employees have gottenlucky in where most have been able to find jobs, but of course there are somethat do not have anything lined up. That is a hard part of closing. You neverwant to see people you have known for years struggle, but I have faith thateveryone will find a place for them.

It’s a true familybetween everyone involved within the company. Everyone is used to seeing eachother every day, so it will be a strange feeling to not have those dailyconversations with my employees that I have gotten so used to.

Besides you employees, whatwill you miss most about the business?

It’s been a place for meto be four hours a day, four days a week. I’ve done this a lot of years, and Ihave to find a way to kill that time.

What are you plans now?

I have a lot of thingsthat I am excited to work on. I live on a farm, and I am focused on hiking andtaking care of the garden. I am currently in a book club, as well as taking philosophyand literature courses at Roland Park Country School. I am going to get backinto writing, and do more volunteer work with my free time.

Any advice for buddingentrepreneurs?

Nurture your curiosity, [keep] your integrity and be open.

Lauren White is a Jmore editorial staff intern.