Glen's elsewhere, still "fair"

Glen's Fair Price, "Harrisonburg's Most Unique Store," has moved from its location on the corner of Wolfe and Main Streets to the old Gift and Thrift store three buildings to the north on Main Street.

Glen's Fair Price sells a wide variety of merchandise from high quality photography equipment and costume supplies to dolls, knicknacks, and candy. The old building is especially unique with two floors of overstocked aisles waiting to be explored.

Marlene Landes, a sales clerk, has worked at Glen's Fair Price off and on since 1958.

"I'm just like family," she said as she described working with the founders children, Gary Stiteler and Melinda Bare, when they were teenagers. The two are now co-owners of the store. Landes said, "This store is a tradition. People bring their kids and remember coming themselves as children. There's no other store like this."

Glen Stiteler opened the store originally as a pharmacy and penny candy shop in the heart of Harrisonburg. As competition grew stronger, the store adapted and became a unique collection of merchandise.

When the pharmaceutical business outgrew small stores, Stiteler expanded his merchandise to a variety of nickknacks and dolls. Stiteler attributes the store's success to flexibility and adaptation. Glen's has been able to find a niche in markets other stores have overlooked over the years.

The new building, with its bright lights and spacious aisles, creates a new feel for the store, but the abundance of hats, dresses, and masks does not allow the custumer to forget where he is. The larger space is necessary, as their costume rental and supplies have outgrown the little store. Bare is happy to have all the supplies on one floor with enough room for people to try on costumes and accessories.

The new store will enable Stiteler to expand the photography section of the store and display the equipment that was behind the counter or in boxes at the old store. Glen's Fair Price sells higher-end photography equipment to individuals, studios, and universities around Harrisonburg, and caters to custumers as far away as California through mail orders.

"Jennifer Mast [a photography professor at EMU] recommends Glen's to her students for their low prices and good selection," said Jon Styer, a sophomore Art and Communications major at EMU.

Glen's hopes to keep its clientele as new businesses move into the area.

"It's becoming constantly harder for a small business to survive," said Stiteler. "Competing with Wal-Mart, and K-Mart, and others makes it very, very difficult, which is why we look for unique products. We have to have something different to sell." Stiteler expects Glen's to stay in the family. His oldest son, Gary Jr. thinks he will probably keep the business alive in the future.