113-year-old Mitchell’s Hardware to shut its doors

Waterville — Wheat- country residents metformin side effects in men might find it a little bit tougher in coming months to find some of life’s necessities, including tools, sundries, flowers and booze.

Owners of Mitchell’s Hardware, Drug, Floral & Liquor, in business here since 1898, announced Monday that the iconic store on the town’s main thoroughfare is going out of business. The store is located at 105 W. Locust St.

Tough economic times in the last three years have pinched profits, said Dick Steinburg, who’s owned the store with his wife Arlene since 1994. And recent passage of Initiative 1183, which ends Washington’s state-run liquor system, threatens independent liquor-store contractors and makes the future uncertain, he said.

“We’re not exactly sure what the effects of 1183 will be,” said Steinburg, “but it appears that it may not be feasible for independent liquor contractors to stay in in business.” In recent years, liquor sales have become a substantial part of the store’s overall business, he said.

A sale by invitation starts at 5 p.m. Wednesday. The store’s liquidation begins at 8 a.m. Thursday and continues through Jan. 7. All items will be sold, including fixtures. The hardware and pharmacy portions of the store will close in coming weeks, while the floral and liquor portions will likely remain open until April or May.