Photo courtesy of Zhou Ye Xin
Mission Art Center closes in Oct., holds final sale
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Losing customers to the internet and big box stores, in addition to the store owner Dale Boeck’s dwindling physical health, the Mission Art Center will be closing Oct. of this year.
The business’s manufacturers and distributors inflated wholesale prices for smaller businesses such as the Mission Art Center, which made the store struggle to keep afloat.
“At first I was mad, but it is what it is,” an employee of the store said. “It’s time for it to close and it’s time for me to [move on].”
The Mission Art Center has been open for about 55 years, starting in the ‘60s, and has been selling art supplies, picture frames, art prints and additional artworks. However, their main services lie in custom framing. Ceramics teacher Karen Keller says she is sad about the news.
“I knew [Boeck] was older because he’s been around a long time so I would expect retirement,” Keller said. “But I didn’t know he was just going to close it up. It’s not even a business that he can sell and somebody else can take on.”
Currently, the shop is holding a closing sale where all art supplies, standard picture frames and art prints are 30 percent off. Senior Kelly Tsan is disappointed in her and other students losing access to this store.
“I’m really not sure, but I feel like [its closing is] probably not a good thing,” Tsan said. “[Students] probably have their own supplies, but the art store is also a good place to get new supplies and stock up and try and other things too.”
Keller says the Mission Art Center is a convenient place for high school students in search of quality art supplies because bigger art stores are further away.
“Once you get using your supplies more intelligently, you understand the difference in quality and how it makes the difference in your final product,” Keller said. “You really have to go somewhere like Blicks to get something of a high quality art supply and that’s even farther.”
The art store may transform into a gallery, a framing site or an area for Boeck to play with trains, which he has a liking for. Presently, it has not been decided.
