FIRST REPORTED 5:30am Another Galesburg business is leaving the city’s Sandburg Mall.
Officials with Quincy-based Kirlin’s Hallmark confirm that the Galesburg location at the mall is closing April sixth. A spokesperson declined an on-air interview for this story, but says the current economic climate is to blame for the closure of the Galesburg store, and also for the closure of a Kirlin’s location in Sterling which will close this coming Sunday
However, despite that claim, the same Kirlin’s spokesperson says that five new stores have opened in what was described as the Greater Chicago area.
The Kirlin’s Hallmark location in Sandburg Mall has two full-time and eight part-time employees, and a spokesperson says they would try to transfer the employees to other locations if possible but there isn’t one close enough to make that practical.
Kirlin’s has locations in Macomb, Peoria, and the Quad Cities, among others in the immediate area.
Kirlin’s is described as the largest independent Hallmark Gold Crown retailer in the country. They have 85 stores in 10 states.
