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Northborough 5 & 10 Set To Close After More Than A Half Century

NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. (CBS/AP) -- The owners of a nearly 60-year-old Northborough store that harkened back to the golden age of American retail has decided to close.

Bruce Terry, co-owner of O'Brien's 5 & 10, said Wednesday an arson fire that destroyed the store in 2008 and the tough economy have proved too much to overcome.

Terry tells WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones that the store that opened in 1953 and which he's owned since 1996 stocks items hard to find elsewhere.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones reports

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"Just this morning, people called up and they wanted hair nets, a lady asked for a sla dust mop, somebody wanted some hat pins," he said. And Terry has all those items in stock.

He said he almost packed it in after the March 2008 fire, but support from the community persuaded him to rebuild and reopen. This time though, the risk of a loan would be too much.

Terry said he's been trying to sell the store since December but hasn't had any legitimate offers. The store is scheduled to close within the next few weeks.


(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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