HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) — Two Holland retail shops are shutting down their storefronts this month to move fully online. It’s part of a growing trend among retailers trying to survive in a changing economy.

After opening up earlier this year in Holland Town Center, White Stone Trading Company is packing up. A sign on their door reads, “We are closing our brick-and-mortar store and will be doing online sales and pop-up sales. Our last day here will be July 19th. Thank you to all who shopped here. We appreciate your patronage.”

Co-owners Gary Ezinga and Kerry Ann poured their hearts into the boutique market. They sell one-of-a-kind antiques, home decor and locally-made items. However, they say the customers just weren’t there and neither were the sales.

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“[Ann] put together this beautiful store but unfortunately we get more compliments than we do people walking out with stuff,” said Ezinga. “I think it’s a really tough time right now. Brick and mortar are expensive. You gotta have the traffic and the trends are going to service industries and things you need.”

Even customers admit that shopping habits have changed. 

“It’s easier just to go online and everything’s at your fingertips,” said Danae Pena, a local shopper. “I think it’s kind of sad that unfortunately stores like this can’t make it as well as some online stores and bigger box stores.”

According to analysts with wealth management and economic company UBS, roughly 45,000 retail locations are projected to close over the next five years due to more shoppers turning to the screen instead of the store.

“I just think a lot of the businesses around here — the small businesses especially — people are doing so much online shopping that you don’t get the traffic like you used to,” said Ezinga.

With more people shopping online, Ezinga and his wife made the challenging decision to close the store, take some time off and plan to relaunch on a digital platform and do pop-up sales. In the meantime, the shop is clearing its inventory fast with 90% off everything sales.

Another local business announced its storefront closure this month. Half a mile away, the longtime toy store, EcoBuns Baby + Co. on Lakewood Boulevard is moving its sales online only on July 23.

EcoBuns Baby + Co. is moving to an online-only sales model. (July 16, 2025)

Co-owner Marissa Berghorst said the company began 16 years ago out of the original owner’s living room. Now, the company will be going back to its roots. Berghorst said the decision to close the store down was not made lightly, as its current storefront has served as a meeting place, a support system and a safe space for families for the last three years. She said, however, tariffs on imported goods have made it harder to keep shelves stocked.

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“Looking ahead, if we don’t have inventory to sell in the fall, we are not going to be able to make a rent payment,” said Berkhorst. “We just don’t see that the inventory will be there enough to support an entire store.”

She said they plan to store inventory in her business but not to the degree her customers are used to in a full retail setting. She expects to see a trend of less inventory in all businesses later this year.

“Us moving online is just the next step of us staying sustainable,” she said. “We still want to support West Michigan, we still want to stick around. Just the overhead of the space combined with the rising increase in prices, the lack of inventory, we just don’t see it as sustainable to have a storefront through the end of 2025.”

Both EcoBuns and White Stone plan to keep serving West Michigan, just from behind the screen.