If you’re looking for a silver lining, there’s a bunch of positives about Imagine Artwear (1124 King Street) closing in Old Town.
Owner Carol Supplee is scaling back to focus on her health and just got approval from her landlord to keep her women’s clothing, art and jewelry shop open another month (until June 30). Until then, customers can get 50% off all merchandise. Supplee also said that she’s reached an agreement with her vendors as the store is moving online.
“I’ve been here 33 years,” Supplee told ALXnow. “It’s time to let it go.”
Visitors have filled pages in a memorial book inside the store.
“Imagine is one of our most beloved stores in our city,” former Mayor Allison Silberberg wrote in the book. “You ‘imagined’ what was possible and made it happen.”
The store, which features a large outdoor mural, opened in 1988 as Fiber Designs, and Supplee left behind a career as a banking marketing officer when she bought it in 1992. She also served as president of the Old Town Business and Professional Association
Supplee said she’s been able to travel around the world over the last three decades., and that she’ll be writing her memoirs on Imagine Artwear’s blog in the days ahead.
“I found efficient ways to work, and staff I trust,” she said. “I know a couple of owners who never get out of their stores for that very reason. They don’t dare.”
