Downtown Cary store will close soon after 15 years in business. Here’s why
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- The Perfect Piece, a furniture and decor store in Cary, is closing after 15 years.
- Owners cite rise in online shopping and increased costs as reasons for the closure.
- The store is open Monday-Saturday through the end of December.
If you’ve visited The Perfect Piece during the past few days, you’d think the furniture, consignment and home decor store was thriving — an example of a locally owned brick-and-mortar making it in the world of online shopping.
And while owners Betty Haskell and Rebecca Ennis are thankful for the business, they can’t help but asking: Where have the shoppers been?
“They’re all flooding in,” Haskell said. “Where were you guys when we pleaded?”
Over the summer, the owners of the downtown Cary store sent word to customers via email and social media that their store was suffering. Business typically slows during summer, the owners said, but this year, sales were even lower than usual.
Their outreach efforts resulted in a slight uptick in sales, but not enough to make a real difference.
Haskell and Ennis recently had to tell the approximately 25 vendors who rent space in the East Chatham Street store, then the public a few days later, that The Perfect Piece was closing for good at the end of the year.
The Facebook video in which The Perfect Piece shared news of the store’s closing has, to date, more than 23,000 views — 6,000 more than the business account has followers. The post explaining the decision to close the store has more than 760 reactions and 180 comments, as customers share messages of how sorry they are to learn the news and how much they’ll miss the place.
“We’re at peace with it,” said Ennis, who is married to Haskell’s nephew. “We know God’s in control.”
Why is The Perfect Piece closing?
Haskell and Ennis said the business decline is because of the rise of online shopping. But increasing costs of payroll and inventory haven’t helped.
“It’s at the point where you don’t know what the future holds, and if it continues on the track it is, it’s definitely not getting any better,” Ennis said.
They also haven’t been selling as much furniture, their big-ticket items, which Haskell said is because people aren’t buying houses. In Wake County, single-family homes spent a median of 30 days on the market in October, up 62% since the same month last year, according to Doorify MLS. And closed sales were down 7% last month compared to October 2024.
Another issue for the business has been parking. The building, formerly home to a BB&T bank and The Cary News, has dozens of dedicated parking spots for customers. And years ago, Haskell and Ennis said, they tried to work with other businesses to share parking. Over time, many popular bars and restaurants have sprouted up around The Perfect Piece.
But citing liability issues, the landlord decided to restrict parking to customers of The Perfect Piece only, Haskell said, and enforced regulations with towing.
Over the years, social media users have engaged in multiple discussions about whose decision it was to prohibit after-hours parking at The Perfect Piece lot, why the decision was made and whether it has affected The Perfect Piece’s business. Some commenters have admitted to avoiding shopping at the store because of the parking policies.
“We say, ‘We don’t own the building. We’re just the renters,’” Haskell said. “But it doesn’t matter.”
Downtown Cary furniture & home decor store
The idea to open The Perfect Piece came years ago, when Haskell was spending weekends at yard sales, finding pieces to furnish a home for her daughter, who was in college at N.C. State.
She realized she had a knack for it, which led her to open her own booth in a larger store. Then she called Ennis, who has a background in design and construction, and asked her to partner in the business. At first Ennis said no, but she changed her mind.
They opened their doors in May 2012 with 12 vendors, occupying half of the space that The Perfect Piece encompasses now.
In December, with just a few months in business under their belts, the co-owners decided to expand into the other side of the building, which formerly housed the bank.
Vendors and employees have come and gone, but there are a handful who have been with The Perfect Piece since its early days. The store has welcomed its share of loyal customers, too.
“We know a lot of our customers personally,” Ennis said. “We know their kids.”
The store has tried to give back to the community. Each year, it takes on a philanthropic project. It has filled homes not just with furniture but with a stocked refrigerator, linens, towels and dishes. It has collected presents during the holidays for Toys for Tots. Last year, following Hurricane Helene, the store owners delivered trailers full of gifts, paper towels, diapers, toiletries and other essentials brought in by customers to Western North Carolina.
Earlier this year, Haskell and Ennis converted a small room in the store into a prayer room, where customers can hang written prayer requests on crosses.
“You go in there, you’re going to cry if you sit down and read them,” Haskell said. “There’s no way not to.”
The Perfect Piece location and hours
The Perfect Piece is open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday at 200 E. Chatham St. in Cary. Its last day is Wednesday, Dec. 31.
After The Perfect Piece closes, Haskell said she is going to take some time before pursuing a new business venture, which she will share more about later. Ennis said she will go back to working full time in the building and design industry.
This story was originally published November 6, 2025 at 4:15 PM with the headline "Downtown Cary store will close soon after 15 years in business. Here’s why."
