DAYTON, Ohio - The last downtown department store closed Friday, soon to be turned into office space.

        The Elder-Beerman store where President Clinton shopped during a visit in the 1990s will be remodeled for the Reynolds and Reynolds Co., which already uses more than half of the 28-year-old building.

        “It's sad to be leaving. We're like family,” said Martha Haney, 73, a full-time Elder-Beerman worker.

        The store on Courthouse Square was built in 1974 and has 63 workers, some of whom are being transferred to another store.

        In 1991, the Lazarus store across the street closed after nearly 80 years. The building was imploded in 1999 to make way for the Schuster Performing Arts Center.

        CityWide Development Corp. owns the Elder-Beerman building and plans a $16 million renovation.

        Elder-Beerman employs about 7,000 people and operates department stores in eight states.

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