Fischer’s Newsstand for sale

Gary and Denise Withey have owned business in downtown Albion for 20 years

Photo by Tom Rivers – Gary Withey is pictured at Fischer’s Newsstand, which has been a fixture in downtown Albion for more than a century.

ALBION – A fixture on Albion’s Main Street for more than a century, Fischer’s Newsstand, is on the market.

Gary and Denise Withey became owners of the business in January 1995. The couple had a goal of owning the business for 20 years. They are now ready to sell.

“This place needs somebody younger with fresher ideas,” Mr. Withey said at the store this morning. “It’s been a good business and it’s been here forever. Albion needs a business like this in the downtown.”

Withey said sales have declined with magazines and newspapers from two decades ago, but he still has many customers who buy printed periodicals, including about 40 who reserve a daily newspaper.

The Lottery remains popular, and many customers come in for candy and coffee.

The store hasn’t changed much in decades, and Withey believes that is part of the Fischer’s appeal.

“It is still great to watch people who moved away come back and step inside here,” he said. “They have a smile on their face. As much as Albion has changed over the years, the one constant has been Fischer’s News.”

Withey and his wife have operated the store seven days a week for nearly 20 years. “You have to put your heart and soul into it,” he said.

The family is ready to step back from the store. Mrs. Withey in early October suffered catastrophic kidney failure and now is on dialysis. She is hoping to receive at-home dialysis and return to work at The Arc of Orleans County while awaiting a kidney transplant.

Her husband, who will turn 54 next week, wants a less demanding work schedule so he can be more available for his wife.

They remain thankful for the 20 years with the store. They were able to put their two daughters through college and pay off their house, while making tons of friends.

Withey first started going to Fischer’s when he was a kid, looking to buy hockey cards at the store. He was a customer as a teen-ager and as an adult before acquiring the store.

“It’s been great and we’re going to miss it,” he said. “It’s been a part of my life since I was a kid.”

For more information about the business, contact Withey at (585) 589-7283.