June 12, 2023

After being unable to find a buyer, longtime downtown retailer Mrs. Murphy’s Irish Gifts plans to close.

Owners Dick and Sandy Murphy are retiring after running the business for nearly 26 years.

They interviewed about a dozen prospective buyers for the store, but nothing came together.

“Each one had some reason,” Dick Murphy said. “Timing was the biggest reason.”

The store’s lease at The Carpenter Building, 219 S. Phillips Ave., goes through the end of June, so to allow enough time for a retirement sale, a decision had to be made.

“We wanted to say thank you to our loyal customers and give them something back,” Murphy said.

All merchandise was marked 40 percent off on Saturday, and the racks have been cleared fast.

“It just wiped out almost the whole store,” Murphy said. “This is summer, and they’re buying sweaters like you wouldn’t believe.”

The plan is to keep the store open likely until the last week of June.

Along with what remains of the Irish apparel, jewelry and gift items, all the fixtures are for sale.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.