ELKIN, N.C. — Royall's Soda Shoppe is closing its doors after 97 years of slinging sloppy joes and good memories. The diner is known in Elkin for its "All-the-Way" hot dogs and nostalgic aesthetic.
Royall's officially shuts its doors on January 31.
Opening in 1923, Royall Soda Shoppe was formerly Royall Drug Store. Legendary Elkin resident Ed Royall ran the pharmacy with his father for decades. The family ties and homey atmosphere have brought Royall's loyalists back time and again over the course of the business' near-century of operation.
"My uncle worked behind the counter of the pharmacy," 40-year customer David Steelman said, "I'm pretty sure my name is carved up in the wall over there. My kids and grandkids' names are up there too."
"This was my first job when I was fifteen," current co-owner Tina Holloway said, "I worked in the pharmacy for Mr. Royall all through high school until I graduated."
Ownership has changed hands a few times in the years since Ed Royall's death, but storefront's ties to the town have remained strong. For some Elkin residents, the news of Royall's closure makes it feel like the knots to those ties are coming undone.
"When it came up for sale, [buying the restaurant] was like coming back home. We've put a lot of blood sweat and tears into this place. It's hard," Holloway said.
"I've been coming here since the '60s as a kid," said James "Z" Curtis, "It's just a part of Elkin. We're losing that history."
"We're going to miss it," Tommy Rucker, mid-hot dog bite, said, "this place has been here a long, long time."
"It's about what this place has represented for 100 years," Steelman said, "and all the people [sic] that've eaten hot dogs and sat with their girlfriends and boyfriends and made new friends and then watched the progress and their children and their grandchildren. There's so many attachments to [Royall's]. I think that's a piece of life we really need more of.
"It's sad to see it go," Steelman said.
Tina co-owns Royall's Soda Shoppe with her husband, Brian Holloway. They said Royall's business has steadily declined of late. Brian believes lunchtime foot traffic dried up as Elkin traffic patterns changed on Main Street.
In August, the NCDOT diverted vehicles from I-77 for road repairs, leading to heavy traffic and large vehicles like semi-trucks passing through Elkin, officials said. The same month, the town replaced four downtown traffic signals with stop signs. Elkin's mayor, Sam Bishop, admitted the diversion, coupled with the new stop signs, led to undesirable traffic issues for a few weeks.
"I'm not going to blame it or nothing," Brian Holloway said, "but I have it on the books. Fifty percent of business went away the day the traffic lights changed."
"We've also had customers complain they don't want to come downtown and that there's nowhere to park," Tina added.
"The thing is," Mayor Bishop said, "[the I-77 diversion] happened months ago. The traffic is back to normal how it was, and has been for a while."
Mayor Bishop instead pointed to Elkin's evolution in recent years to a town with more patrons active in the evening as a potential reason for Royall's struggles.
"It was a necessary transition for Elkin. A little while ago there were 17 empty storefronts on Main Street. Something had to change," Bishop said, "We've recently had five new businesses open on the same street Royall's is closing. There are around 150 people employed on Main Street. That's a good area for businesses."
"You have to change and adapt," Mayor Bishop said.
Royall's Soda Shoppe is only open between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and does not serve breakfast nor dinner.
"We tried breakfast, but there's no one in downtown Elkin here that time in the morning," Tina said, "and we have small children and grandchildren that we have to spend time with in the evenings."
Ultimately, the Holloways' decision to close Royall's is based on the values the restaurant is so beloved for upholding.
"Family has to come first," Tina said.
Brian and Tina plan to open up another Royall's Soda Shoppe where lunchtime customers are more accessible. They said they've looked for potential locations in uptown Elkin or south in Jonesville, but nothing has materialized.
A date for re-opening has not been set.
Gallery: The Last Days of Royall's Soda Shoppe
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