Running a family business for 50 years requires a lot of sacrifice.
I grew up in the family business of Lynn Ladder & Scaffolding, which has actually been around longer than that. When it’s your family’s business, there’s little difference between work time and off-duty time.
When I was a kid, I remember late at night when the alarm went off at the company headquarters and my dad had to go see the police to figure out what was going on. As I grew up and worked in the corporate world for four years, experiencing the early morning hours of bringing products to job sites to keep customers happy, I learned that mixing a home and business had its challenges.
For any family business to last nearly 50 years, you have to be passionate about it, and that’s how Ronnie Sylvester, known as “Mr. Butt” in the country and western industry, has a passion for western wear.
His store, Sylvester’s Western Wear, serves locals through its Louisiana store and is a regional destination and tourist attraction. Sylvester ran the store until his death in 2020 after a battle with Parkinson’s disease.
His wife, Lisa Sylvester, has since run the business.
“My husband worked so hard. He was a legend. I want to keep going for him, but it’s time in my life to put family first,” Lisa Sylvester told Fox 8 Live.
The store will permanently close on January 5th.
Lisa Sylvester told Fox News the shift in shopping habits is affecting long-time local businesses like hers.
“This is really impacting local businesses that have been here for many years,” she said. “You know that’s how the world turns.”
“Globally, e-commerce retail sales are expected to reach $6.42 trillion 2025, Representative 20.5% ”, according to e-commerce data from Capital One.
The report shows the impact of online shopping, which has been particularly hard on chains like Sylvester’s Western Wear, which has a very limited website and no e-commerce presence.
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Exceed 2.77 billion People around the world shop online.
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Forecasts suggest value will increase to $8.91 trillion 2030.
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Total business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce spending $62.2 trillion By 2030.
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E-commerce sales will rise in 2025 6.86% Total e-commerce retail sales in 2024 ($6.01 trillion).
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U.S. retail e-commerce sales are expected to reach $1.47 trillionup 9.78% Starting in 2024 ($1.34 trillion).
While closure plans weren’t officially announced until after Christmas, Lisa Sylvester hinted that some changes were coming in a pre-holiday Facebook post.
“A store that continues to save money! Thank you again for all your love and support during our 50 wonderful years. Can’t wait to see what the future holds! Merry Christmas to everyone! Thank you,” she wrote.
The store is offering discounts of up to 50% over Christmas, a sure sign its owners are considering closing.
More retail:
E-commerce sales have been growing, and research shows that large players like Amazon and Walmart operating out of distribution centers are really having an impact on local retailers.
The National Bureau of Economic Research reports that “the establishment of e-commerce fulfillment centers reduces retail job growth in their counties by an average of nearly 1,000 jobs per quarter.”
The loss of local shops has had a profound impact on the community.
“Within a week, 91% of U.S. consumers shop at small and local stores, including more than 122 million home shoppers,” another Capital One study showed.
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68% or $68 out of every $100 Spending in local shops still belongs to the local economy.
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U.S. shoppers spend an estimate $3.74 trillion In local stores in 2024, the equivalent of 51.5% account for all retail sales.
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8.67% of U.S. small businesses are retailers (3.01 million 34.8 million small businesses in total).
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Founded in 1976: Sylvester’s Western Wear, which operates out of Kenner, Louisiana, has been a local staple of western clothing and boots for decades, according to Manta.
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Sylvester’s Western Wear operates in 2600 Williams Avenue. Kenner, Louisianahas been selling boots, Western clothing and accessories to locals and tourists for decades, according to the chamber.
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Neighborhood staples with a good store reputation: In recent years, many customers have praised the store for its personalized service, wide selection and friendly staff, in contrast to its big-box alternatives, according to Sylvester’s Western Wear.
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Closing in December 2025, Decades Later: family run store Closing its doors after decades in business, local news notes its importance to the community It’s a long-term retail fixture, Fox 8 Live reports.
Sylvester’s Western Wear is more than just a place to buy boots and belts. This is a local institution.
Customers praise the store “Friendly, helpful staff and a wide selection of boots”, qualities that have kept shoppers coming back for decades. Even those visiting from out of town took notice.Personalized service and warm atmosphere”, making it stand out among local retailers, according to reviews on the area’s chamber of commerce website.
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This article was originally published by TheStreet on December 28, 2025, and first appeared in the Retail section. Click here to add TheStreet as your preferred source.