Neilson plans retirement
By John Faucher
An iconic downtown New London business quietly closed its doors Saturday, Dec. 9.
Paul Neilson, second-generation owner of TV-Pliance Center, flipped the closed sign shortly after noon.
Neilson, who is now officially retired, grew up in the business and began working the store while he was still in high school.
His parents Bob and Dorothy Nielson opened the business with then partner, Merlin Hintz, on Oct. 1, 1960.
Dorothy explained at the time, Merlin had a TV business in town.
When General Electric approached Hintz about the possibility of taking on the GE line, he asked the Neilsons if they would be interested in a partnership.
“We met with the GE people and that’s how it all started,” explained Dorothy.
They built a new building at 509 W. North Water St.
The building’s design featured a modern look with large geometrically shaped plate glass windows facing the south.
Its design still adorns New London’s North West downtown business district.
Paul began working full-time at the store in 1974.
They carried a large inventory of ranges, refrigerators, washers, dryers, dishwashers, televisions and stereos.
In addition to sales the full service store handled all their own deliveries, repair and warranty work.
In recent years, Paul said they handled less in the television and electronics categories and remained focused on appliances.
A lot has changed with technology and the market for electronics, he said.
“That part of it I won’t miss,” said Neilson.
He said he has not given too much thought about what he will do with his spare time in his retirement.
Neilson definitely ruled out a possible comeback as a tunnel boat racer, something that he was well known for locally in the 1980s.
“I still have my fishing boat and I’m quite happy with that,” he said with a smile.
When asked what he will miss most about the business he said definitely the people, and he will miss going into work every day.
“We met a lot of nice people through the years,” said Neilson. “Wonderful people.”
Neilson said he felt blessed to work alongside family for so many years.
His mother Dorothy worked in the business until Covid-19 hit in 2020.
His daughter Amy Wendlandt has worked in the business full-time for the past seven years.
The three of them stood together in the front of the store Saturday reminiscing some of the more memorable moments for the business’s 64-year history.
There was the time, a car smashed through the back wall of the building and then there was the rogue Whitetail deer that crashed through the windows in the early 2000s.
Dorothy smiled in the warmth of the sun-filled windows.
“Oh, it was fun while it lasted,” she said.