Jacksonville’s oldest locally owned art supply store will soon be closing its doors.
Since 1956, Reddi-Arts has equipped artists of all ages and abilities across Northeast Florida with supplies, custom frames, design help and more. Owners Kelly and Mary McCormick, a mother-and-daughter duo who purchased the business in 2020, announced the store’s closing on social media Wednesday.
“It is with a heavy heart that after nearly seventy years in business, Reddi-Arts time has come to an end,” the McCormicks wrote on Facebook. “Reddi-Arts will always be so much more than just an art supply store. It has been a place of learning, joy, community-building, and we will forever cherish the memories we have made with all of our wonderful employees and customers.”
The announcement said that the store would temporarily be closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and will reopen Thursday, May 22, for a liquidation sale.
The owners noted “unpredictable challenges,” the pandemic and the “drastic increase in prices” as contributors to making the difficult decision to close.
The McCormicks assisted in moving the business out of its original location on Hendricks Avenue in San Marco to its current location on North Main Street, in the former F.W. Woolworth Co. department store.
“While this chapter is coming to an end, the memories and moments Reddi-Arts will leave behind remain, and we encourage you to share your favorite memories here with us,” the post said.
The owners said everything in the store will be up for sale, except the pieces hanging in their gallery.
“Keep drawing, keep painting, keep creating. The world needs your art right now,” the post concluded.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: After nearly 70 years, Jacksonville art supply store Reddi-Arts will close, owners say
Reporting by Isabella Casapao / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
