Decades-Old Arlington Shop Closing

ARLINGTON, MA – A family-run Arlington five-and-dime will close Saturday after 64 years. Balich 5 & 10 on Massachusetts Avenue will sell all merchandise at 70 percent off before it closes for good at 6 p.m.

Joe Balich, who took over ownership of the store from his father 26 years ago, told the Boston Globe he's ready to retire. He said he still maintains a loyal clientele but has been losing customers to online companies and new development in the Arlington Heights neighborhood. He also has had trouble finding merchandise after losing some of his suppliers, according to the Globe.

Balich's father bought the store in 1972 from its previous owner, who opened it in 1954. The shop specialized in "hard-to-find items, and a little bit of everything," according to Balich, like rubber chickens, candy cigarettes, velcro and a number of other staples of decades past.

Read more from the Boston Globe.

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