Sidney’s Emporium, 647 W. Dickson St.
Staff photo
Longtime Dickson Street business Sidney’s Emporium will soon have a new home.
Store owner Sid Simons announced earlier this month that the Fayetteville business would soon move from its current location at 647 W. Dickson St. into an 18-foot Airstream trailer at the Yacht Club mobile business park on College Avenue.
Simons said that after 30 years in business, it was time to simplify and downsize a bit.
Interior shot of Sidney’s Emporium on Dickson Street
Staff photo
“I’d been thinking about doing this for a while,” Simons said. “I was looking for space, and wanted to stay downtown. I drove by the Yacht Club one day, whipped in there, and just decided to go for it.”
Simons said he’ll likely phase out some of the clothing and home decor items that he sells, though he is still in the process of determining just what he’ll focus on at the new location. He also mentioned the possibility of morphing the new spot into a record store at some point.
“I’ve got about 5,000 records in storage,” he said. “I could see it turning into a place to get funky old records.”
It won’t be the first move for the business, nor will it be the first time the store has made changes in order to stay relevant over the years.
Sid opened his business in 1985 as a screen printing shop called Goose Creek Designs. From there, it evolved to focus on tie dye shirts, before adding home decor, hookah supplies, records, tapes, and other items. By the late 80s, Sid renamed the business Sidney’s Emporium. The store has been located at several places on Dickson Street, and once on Block Avenue over its long history in Fayetteville. The Yacht Club location will be the sixth (or seventh, but who’s counting?) home for the store.
Overall, Sid said, he likes the vibe of the Yacht Club.
“I just think it’s a cool thing they have going down there,” he said. “Plus, there’s not a lot of retail yet. I could see folks coming over and shopping while they wait on their food.”
Simons plans to have at least a few items at the new place this week, in time for a Trailer Park Princess promotion the Yacht Club has planned on Friday. His goal, he said, is to continue the transition for the next couple weeks, and to be fully operational at the new location by mid May.
