[honestcoyote]

If your employees were basically running the shop with little-to-no control from your parents, then it's only natural they would feel a sense of ownership. It's a very human reaction.

And when someone much younger takes over and wants to implement changes, that's going to be scary to employees aged 40+, who depend on the job for their mortgages, kid's college, and retirement. And who are going to have a hard time getting a new job of equal pay, thanks to age discrimination in many industries, if your changes lead to them being let go.

I'm sure the situation was incredibly frustrating for you. I've been where you are, in the sense of working with middle-aged people terrified of change. Quite maddening. But now that I'm middle-aged myself and fighting similar tendencies, I can have a lot of empathy for them. I hope you can have at least a little.