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The Riverdale Park Town Center, which is mostly vacant, is now a little emptier after one of its few businesses, Old Town Pets, closed in August.

The store's owner, Dan Gignac, leased space in a building owned by Bruce Wernek, who said the store did well when it first opened about two years ago but took a hit when the current economic recession worsened.

"It relies on walk-in traffic and when he's the only business in there he has a tough road to hoe," Wernek said.

Gignac could not be reached for comment.

Several other small businesses in northern Prince George's County — such as Ramdass Pharmacy in Bladensburg and Vertigo Books in College Park — also have closed since the start of the recession.

Jim Estepp, president and CEO of the Greater Prince George's Business Roundtable, said he has not seen data to indicate that small businesses are closing at a more rapid pace than larger ones in the down economy, but adds that small businesses seem to be lagging in the recovery.

"The problem is jobs," he said. "People are out of work in many instances and when they're out of work they're not spending on anything that's other than the very basic necessities."

The majority of space in the Riverdale Park Town Center is vacant.

Washington, D.C.-based Douglas Development owns 15 to 16 storefronts, two of which are occupied, one by S&J Restaurant and another by Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation. Wernek owns three storefronts, which were fully occupied while the pet shop was open. The remaining tenants include a specialty doll store that is open by appointment, a law office and storefront church.

S&J Restaurant has been open in the center for at least 50 years, co-owner Guy Tiberio said.

"Anytime you see a business go out like that, it's disheartening," Tiberio said of the pet store's closing.

In the past two years, Riverdale Park officials have held open houses and hired consultants in an effort to attract businesses to the center, which is located at the intersection of Rhode Island Avenue and Queensbury Road

The town conducted a survey in July 2006 that found that residents wanted such businesses as a coffee shop, bookstore and grocery store in the center. The survey also found that residents are frustrated with Douglas Jemal, the owner of Douglas Development, for not leasing the properties or lowering rents to attract businesses, according to the consulting firm that conducted the survey, Arlington, Va.-based Community Land Use and Economics (CLUE) Group.

Jemal did not return telephone calls or e-mails seeking comment, but told The Gazette in 2007 that the center was vacant for years before his company bought it about five years ago and that he hasn't leased the properties because no one wants to rent there.

CLUE Group created a business and development plan for the center in 2007. The plan proposed making the center a destination spot by bringing in environmentally-friendly retail, such as organic restaurants or retailers that sell green building materials.

Since, a few businesses have expressed interest in leasing space in the center, including a gourmet sandwich shop, but none have opened.

"The frustrating thing is I finally felt we were getting some traction, with one business and another one coming in, when the economy went into the tank," Riverdale Park Mayor Vernon Archer said.

Even so, town officials are optimistic that a demand will blossom for in-town businesses. Town Administrator Patrick Prangley pointed to the expected increase of daytime employment in the town with 2008 opening of the University of Maryland, College Park's M Square Research Park.

In addition, the weekly Riverdale Park Farmer's Market, which is based in the town center, has seen its number of attendees and vendors grow in recent years, Prangley said.

"It's really driven by the economy right now," he said of the town's growth. "The cost of doing business is just a reality. For a small business it is a little tougher."

E-mail Elahe Izadi at eizadi@gazette.net.