There was a shoe store, a seamstress, and a used bookstore. They all left because the rent was raised dramatically - doubled. Andrus expressed concern over the condition of building, which has become increasingly rundown, with no visible signs of maintenance. Her end is dirty. No one ever sweeps the sidewalk.
Garbage is thrown there.
The contrast is stark between the Landon building and the building that houses Wide World Books and its neighbor, the Teahouse Kuan Yin - both of which are painted a cheery turquoise with yellow trim. Colorful banners fly above the door of the travel bookstore. And right next door to the Kuan Yin are the empty storefronts, which evidently haven't been painted in years, except by graffiti. Longtime Wallingford Chamber member Martha Golubiec of Polyways Travel Service has also struggled with the problem posed by the empty storefronts. She has done everything not to rent.