Butler soon will lose one of its oldest and most recognizable Main Street storefronts.

Worsley's, 161 N. Main St., will close after 87 years.

“Being a mom and pop business — it's just too hard to compete,” said Keri Dolan, who owns the store with her mother, Lorraine Worsley, and sister, Cheryl Worsley. “We tried different tactics to get by, but we realized the time has come (to close).”

The store was founded by Dolan's grandfather, Albert E. Worsley Sr. in 1927. It has grown to include four storefronts in the heart of downtown.

Worsley's offers a variety of merchandise, including paint supplies, furniture, dolls, collectibles and teaching supplies.

Dolan doesn't know when the building will close for good.

“We have not set a timetable yet,” she said. “It depends on how long it takes to liquidate everything.”

Dolan said the family will sell all its merchandise as well as the shelving and display cases inside.

“Everything's for sale,” she said.

It's a strange feeling for the woman who has grown up with the store.

“I don't even know how to go about it,” she said of closing. “I know how to run a store, not close one. It's new territory.”

Dolan said the family has had a couple prospective buyers inquire about the buildings, which include seven upstairs apartments and a storage area.

The decision to close the store was a difficult one for the family, now in its fourth generation.

“There has been lots of talking and a lot of tears,” she said.

It's a conversation the family has been having for a couple years, Dolan said.

“This past Christmas is when we knew we wouldn't be able to go on,” she added. “On Friday, we finally sat down with Realtors and said it was time to go public.”

Dolan attributed a struggling economy to the store's hard times.

“People just aren't shopping downtown anymore,” she said. “Butler has changed over the years. When I was teen, we had a bustling downtown. You had to dodge people to walk down Main Street.”

Dolan said while there were initial discussions to rent two of the storefronts from the new owners, she no longer believes the family will try to maintain a business on Main Street or elsewhere.

While it is time to move on, Dolan said the store will always be an important part of her life.

“I was fortunate enough to wake up every morning and look forward to work,” she said. “I can't imagine what the last day is going to be like — having to lock up that door of an empty building.”

She said the interaction with the longtime customers will be the thing missed most.

“A lot of people have become more than just customers, they've become friends,” she said. “That's what I'm really going to miss.”