The Dexter Card Shop, located at 8106 Main Street, will be closing its doors Sept. 30 when its lease is up.

Due to the slow economy, sole proprietor Carolyn Crawford has decided to retire.

“I’ve been doing it for 12 years and I have no employees, so that’s 12 years, six days a week for 10 hours a day and I’m tired,” she said.

“With the lease up in October, I just decided I couldn’t sign up for another year the way things are. It’s breaking my heart. But, you know, you can’t keep fighting this stuff.”

Crawford previously worked for 25 years as a food service manager at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital before buying the business from building owner Fred Model. He had run the card shop since 1976, and it had been a card and gift shop since the 1930s.

It was successful enough for Model that he was able to start another office supply store in Chelsea, called Chelsea Office Supply, which has since closed. Now housing The Garden Mill, he still owns the historic building at 110 S. Main Street in Chelsea as well.

Crawford tried to sell her business this past spring.

“There was a lot of interest, but unfortunately no one has any money and the banks aren’t lending any,” she said.

Crawford is currently holding a going-out-of-business sale with merchandise marked 10 to 50 percent off, including office supplies, stuffed animals, candles, puzzles, gift wrap and cards for 50 cents.

“Everything is for sale, and the prices will keep going down,” Crawford said. “I haven’t even brought out the Christmas things yet, so there will be a lot coming out over the next few weeks.”

The 1,400-square-foot space includes the first floor retail space and back room. The tenant also has access to storage in the full basement.

Model has had interest from potential new tenants, although nothing has been finalized. “There is someone interested but they have not signed the lease yet,” he explained.

Though both Model and Crawford agree that downtown Dexter has suffered from Busch’s moving a few miles down the road and that foot traffic is largely dependent on the weather, they say downtown merchants are benefiting from a resurgence in restaurants such as Aubree’s and Red Brick.

Model says that overall, downtown Dexter has greatly improved in the last 30 years.

“Before they did the streetscape, Dexter was four lanes. If you tried to cut across the street you took your life in your own hands. They’ve really beautified downtown Dexter and that’s paid off,” he said.