Virginia Beach clothing shop is closing after 39 years

VIRGINIA BEACH

When Debbie Carr Rody opened the first Cage in 1970, platform shoes and high-waisted pants were all the rage.

Just like today. And like today, Rody stood at the forefront of the local fashion scene with Cage.

Now, after almost 39 years as a Hampton Roads retail pioneer, Rody has decided to close Cage and retire. The store at Pacific Avenue and 37th Street is holding a liquidation sale, with items up to 70 percent off, until all merchandise is gone.

As with most retailers, Cage's sales have dropped this year, Rody said. But she said the difficult economy merely solidified and determined the timing of her prior plans to leave the business, spend more time with family and acquire new talents such as master-gardening.

"I'm not going to wait until January, February or March to see my investment dwindle," she said of the downturn in business. "It sort of pushed me along."

With her goes one of the region's primary sources of top-end apparel from European designers such as Ivan Grundahl of Copenhagen, Nougat of London and Rodika Zanian of France. As other upscale boutiques have come and gone, Cage has stood firm.

The store opened in 1970 under other owners, with Rody as manager, in the lower lobby of the Cavalier Hotel. A typical hotel shop, it sold gifts and swimsuits until Rody started putting more emphasis on women's clothing. Customers responded, she said.

"This area was very, very traditional," she said, "and I am not a traditionalist."

In 1973, Rody bought the store from the other owners and moved it to its first space on Pacific Avenue. She expanded into the current site in 2002.

Customers have lamented her departure, but it has given her a sense of freedom, she said. "When I made the decision, I almost felt like I could fly."

Carolyn Shapiro, (757) 446-2270, carolyn.shapiro@pilotonline.com