November 6, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Post Light, a Hill staple for 25 years, to close this year
by PETE MAZZACCARO

Barbara Markloff

For 25 years, Barbara Markloff has worked at the The Post Light, a small lighting shop started by her father, Lyman Hanson. The small brick building on Bethlehem Pike is stuffed with lamps, lampshades and wall-mounted lighting. It’s a last stop for homeowners looking for high-end lighting, the finishing touch of detail shoppers can’t find at the local Home Depot

But this year, Markloff, now the sole owner and proprietor of the business, has decided to close the Post Light for good. The time was right, she said, to let the shop go and begin a new phase of her life. She will spend more time at Top of the Hill Deli, which she owns with husband Bill. She’ll be moving a home office above the Deli.

“I’ll still be in Chestnut Hill,” Markloff said. “People can stop by for lunch.”

Markloff recalled that she began working with her father soon after he opened the shop. A Chestnut Hill resident who still lives here with his wife, Frances, her father opened the shop at 8611 Germantown Ave. (now home of Sanctuary) after he retired from a position as partner in the public accounting firm KPMG.

“I worked there from the day he opened,” Markloff said. “My daughter was 5 years old at the time. So when I started, I was working part time.”

Markloff recalled that the allure of the Post Light then was its “homeyness,” it looked like a living room packed with lighting options. It’s a trait that carried over to the current location.

Markloff has been the owner of the business since it moved to its current location on 51 Bethlehem Pike. And while part of her decision to close the shop had something to do with her decision to spend more time at Top of the Hill Deli, the downturn in the economy also has figured prominently.  Business, she said, has been flat, and her shop has definitely felt a pinch as a result of the slowdown in home purchases.

“When we moved here, I expanded the business to include a broader range of home furnishings, always keeping my commitment to high quality, American-made products,” Markloff said. “Many of the lighting manufacturers and craftsmen that I supported over the years are struggling to stay afloat these days as they are forced to compete with the influx of cheaper, poorly made imports. I have developed many friendships with my suppliers and it is very sad and frustrating to watch them disappear one by one.”

Originally, Markloff thought she might sell the business, but decided that doing so would be too hard. She also considered subletting the space to a new owner if she could lock her current lease price. But it didn’t work out.

“My landlord has a tenant who will pay a lot more money (in rent) then I do,” Markloff said, indicating that she didn’t feel a tenant could pay a significantly higher rent and keep the business going.

Markloff said she will keep the Post Light open until mid December to give her longtime customers a chance to shop before she shuts her doors for good.

“We will be accepting lighting orders through November,” she said. “We still have a great selection of shades, lamps, furniture and accessories that we will be selling at a marked down price throughout the end of the year.”

Finally, Markloff said closing was a tough decision, but she believes it was the right one.  She’s excited, she says about doing something else.

 “My two wonderful and devoted employees, Kenna Adatte and Phyllis Pentima, have also become dear friends,” she said. “It is for these reasons that my decision to terminate the business is very bittersweet. But 25 years is a good run. I have always believed that closing a business is all about timing, and my heart tells me that this is the right time.”