BY PATRICIA BREAKEY
DELHI NEWS BUREAU
WALTON — A 64-year-old
Walton business closed its
doors Feb. 12 because of weak
sales.
Don Bolton opened Walton
Farm Supply in 1946, and remained
in the Bolton family
until 2000, when it was sold to
Gill Boulay.
In 2003, Frank Walker
bought the business and was
the owner when the 2006 flood
hit Walton.
“We never really came back
after the flood,” Walker said
Tuesday. “We just didn’t have
enough volume to carry the
expenses. It was just a business
decision. We decided we
had to quit.”
Walker said he has liquidated
much of the inventory and
will probably have an auction
in the spring to sell the rest of
the merchandise, fixtures and
possibly the building.
He said the store featured
lawn and garden supplies,
hardware, and farm items like
baler twine. It also contained
a small gift shop.
Walton Mayor Ed Snow
said he was sorry to see the
business close but wasn’t
surprised because of the
economic climate.
“I feel terrible,” Snow said
Tuesday. “But these are tough
economic times, and they are
hitting Walton hard. We are
usually about six months behind
every economic trend,
both good and bad, and we are
feeling the financial fallout
now.”
Snow said the impact of the
loss will be lessened by the
proposed opening of a Haggerty
Ace Hardware Store
at the location of the Walton
Dollar Store at 36 West St. The
Walton Dollar Store closed a
few months ago.
“Hopefully, we will find
something to go into the Farm
Supply site,” Snow said. “It’s
a perfect place for dancing,
which would provide the young
people with entertainment.”
Snow said the changes in the
flood maps make it difficult to
place new businesses on Delaware
Street because of the
cost of flood insurance. But
he added that the Farm Supply
site has a second floor and
ample parking, which makes
it an attractive location.
“These are very trying times
for businesses, but we need
to all pull together to support
our business community,”
Snow said.
