Verbena, the student-focused women’s clothing boutique at 309 S. State St. since 2014, is expected to close by the end of February.
The store was a father-daughter partnership between longtime Ann Arbor businessman Bob Duerksen and Kate Ryan, the brand manager and merchandise buyer. Duerksen, headed toward semi-
retirement, formerly owned Great Lakes Team Apparel and Varsity Blues, since sold to M Den. Ryan is now a stay-at-home mom in Washington state, according to her mother, Mary Duerksen, who has been helping Verbena wind down.
Duerksen says that while last year’s major street construction project hurt foot traffic, larger factors in the closure were the extended absence of students during the pandemic and the rapid emergence of peer-to-peer apps that let young people buy and sell clothes among themselves rather than shop new.
