A popular retailer now makes an unexpected closure in California due to declining sales after serving its community for 37 years.
Margie’s Hallmark Shop, a beloved card and gift store, closed its doors for good on May 9 after serving the community for 37 years.
The shop opened in 1987 by the parents of the current owner, Tom Pearce, and named after his mother, Margie.
However, declining profits and surging operating costs led Pearce to make the difficult decision to shut down the family business.
“There’s no profit in it. I’m paying to be in business,” Pearce lamented.
“The costs are just too high.
Pearce cited skyrocketing utility bills as a major factor, with his power costs spiking 30% this year despite reduced usage.
Employment costs also weighed heavily, with minimum wage increases and mandatory payroll tax contributions for employees making it increasingly difficult to make a profit.
“People don’t understand: As an owner, you’re matching the Social Security; you’re matching the Medicare,” he explained.
While expenses climbed, sales were declining for the small gift shop.
After announcing the impending closure, Margie’s merchandise sold rapidly at 75% off.
The remaining shelving units and store fixtures were sold to other Hallmark retailers.
For nearly four decades, Margie’s was a beloved destination for cardstown in Fresno to find the perfect greeting card or gift for any occasion.
But even a loyal customer base wasn’t enough to keep the mom-and-pop shop afloat in an increasingly challenging retail environment.
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Another massive retailer is now closing due to crime despite its location being a community staple for several years.
Rampant theft has led Walgreens to permanently close one of its major locations at the White Oak Shopping Center in Maryland, reports The-Sun.
Staff and shoppers told ABC affiliate WJLA-TV that the store was closed due to high rates of theft and crime.
Mobile security cameras were recently added by police in the parking lot around stores in the shopping center.
A source also told WJLA-TV that the shopping center’s management company had to fire their security company and hire a new one.
Just last year, there was an armed robbery inside Walgreens, resulting in a man and a woman taking an unknown amount of money and products.
Robberies have become a major problem in the area as stores get ransacked by violent thieves.
A resident told the outlet she was too scared to leave her car in the shopping center’s parking lot.
She says she saw another woman get assaulted and robbed.
“You can simply be walking and they take your purse and start running and they leave you with nothing,” said Sarah Rodriguez.
“That’s why when I’m here before I get out of my car I always look around first.”
Walgreens corporate execs announced earlier this year that about 150 stores will be closed throughout the US.
This would reduce the company’s corporate staff by about 10%, resulting in over 500 positions being eliminated.
News of a replacement for the store in the White Oak Shopping Center hasn’t been announced.
However, the center has been struggling to replace the Sears location that has sat vacant for over three years.
“Yeah, it’s not good, because everyone is complaining,” said resident Kokou Eafbo.
“This is the only pharmacy we have in this area and suddenly they close, we don’t understand.”
The shopping center had once been a thriving area full of shops in Montgomery County, reports The US Sun.
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