THE DAY THE STORE’S CLOSURE was publically announced was pretty much like any other day. In fact, very few customers even noticed the signs. It wasn’t until we actually told them that they realized that we were closing.

I spent most of my shift making a new canvas pile and taking down the wall decor and moving it to the front. When I left, other then the empty walls it didn’t look like much had changed. My next shift wasn’t until the end of the week. When I walked in the entire right side had been cleared out.

The brushes, the paint, paper, the kids stuff; they were all gone. In a matter of days all the art supplies and the kid’s section had been scanned and boxed. It wasn’t until that moment that it really hit me how fast the closure of the store was going to go.

ABOVE. STILL GOING. Old IBM registers that still use 3.5inch floppy disks. Finally got new thermal printers last year and new monitors the year before that. Progress! Shot with 23mm lens at f1.4, 1/1700s, ISO 2000.

LEFT BEHIND. Sale banner and mirror left up on the wall during week 2 because the palettes had been packed so close to the wall that the ladder couldn't reach them. Shot with 35mm lens at f5.6, 1/200s, ISO 2000.

WEEK 3. All art supplies have been boxed and transferred out.

WEEK 4 (end of). Pop fixtures have been emptied and removed. All wall frames have been transferred and wrapped.

WEEK 4 (end of). All saleable merchandised consolidated to the front. Main sale floor closed off to public.

WEEK 5. All inventory shipped out. Fixtures either sent back to RDC or put up for sale.

MAIN SALES FLOOR TRANSITION SLIDESHOW. Progression of main sales floor weeks 3 to 5. Shot with 18-135mm lens.

CHRISTMAS IN JANUARY. Cash wrap with clearance during week 3.

THE LEADING LADIES. Blanca, Cindy, and Jasmine kindly taking a break to pose for a picture.

MAKING THE BEST OF IT. Week 3 after feature table 2 was broken down. The tables were separated and used for clearance.

LAST CALL. Brush bar after all the art supplies were transferred out. Shot with 23mm lens at f5.6, 1/105s, ISO 2000.

Paint aisle being used to set up a palette.

Once the art and kid sections were cleared out the shelves were used to store and sell small fixtures.

TOP LEFT. Paint aisle being used to set up a palette. BOTTOM LEFT. Once the art and kid sections were cleared out the shelves were used to store and sell small fixtures. RIGHT. Empty Winsor & Newton oil paint rack.

ADD A MAT. Mat fixture at the end of week 3. Shot with 35mm lens at f2, 1/1400s, ISO 1600.

FULLY STOCKED. Wall frame section week 3. Shelves still full of plenty of stock.

One of the wall frame aisles during week 4 before the process of transferring and wrapping began.

FROM ABOVE. Week 3. View from the back of the store from the top of one of the ladders.

EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS. Leann, one of the past assistant managers, always looking for new ways to make money for the store, made these little signs. Even after she left, the signs remained posted and it continued to be a popular service all the way until the end. Shot with 23mm lens at f1.4, 1/2000s, ISO 2000.

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