Historic South Florida woodworking store store to close after more than 200 years in business
OAKLAND PARK - After more than two centuries in business, Constantine's Wood Center, a woodworking institution that began in the Bronx in 1812, is closing its doors.
The family-owned store, which has been in Oakland Park for the past 50 years, will shut its doors at the end of January, citing declining in-store traffic and competition from online retailers.
"Trying to make $1 out of 15 cents, that's what I feel like every day," said Rachel Rodriguez, who runs the store with her husband Rudy.
The business has been in Rodriguez's family for generations, originally founded by her great-great-great-great-grandfather after the War of 1812. Among its first major orders: crafting 48 desks and chairs for the U.S. Senate after much of Washington, D.C., was destroyed in the war.
Despite its rich history, the store has struggled to stay afloat in recent years.
"We kind of hit a dry spell," Rodriguez said. "A lot of things contributed to that: after the pandemic, probably a little of Amazon, and just changing generations."
The decline in foot traffic has been especially hard for longtime customers like Bobby White, who frequented Constantine's for its unique inventory.
"Things are changing," White said. "We're losing that storefront business that supplies the really unique products because they can't keep up with the lower prices from China imports."
For Rudy Rodriguez, watching the store's decline has been difficult.
"Regular customers that I used to see just stopped coming, slowly but surely," he said.
Though the physical store will close, Constantine's plans to continue selling its inventory online.
"It's bittersweet," Rachel Rodriguez said, reflecting on the family legacy. "But times change, and we have to change with them."
