WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — It's the end of an era for Clematis Street News Stand, otherwise known as the "Biggest Little Store in the World." A staple in downtown West Palm Beach is closing after surviving decades of change and growth along Clematis Street.
"Well, I'm gonna miss you," one customer said on the way out.
"Do you know how long this store has been here?" another customer asked. "Oh my gosh, forever."
It's not the trinkets, the cards or the souvenirs at this news stand. It's about the moments.
"So that will be $10,500, sir," the cashier joked to a customer. "Credit or Chip?"
Harvey Blonder, the owner, said at the end of the month, he'll be closing up shop.
"We've been selling down our merchandise to close the shop up," he said. "The building has just sold within the last year."
He said Clematis Street News Stand survived decades of changes, while others did not.
"They come in and go out. We've been here through all the times," he said.
Blonder said he will miss the customers most.
"These have been customers who have been here for a long, long time, so they're not rare at all, and we're not rare to them," he said.
Longtime customer Joe Moscow said it will be a loss for Clematis Street.
"It's lost. Personal touch goes," he said.
So while the signs will come down and the newspapers will disappear, the memories at Clematis Street News Stand are proving to be strong than that.
"I used to come down here with my children when you opened," customer Janet Reynolds said. "Just remember this store."
