Huppin’s to close downtown Spokane store

Huppin’s TV, Audio, Cameras and More, one of downtown Spokane’s oldest and best-known retail businesses, will close its store at 421 W. Main, consolidating its retail operations at its north Spokane store. The family-owned business has had a downtown store for 104 years. The Huppin’s retail operations will continue at the north side store that opened in 2010 at 8016 N. Division. Company President Murray Huppin said the electronics store will expand Huppins.com and its OneCall online retail site. The downtown store has 15 employees. Huppin said the goal was to keep as many as possible from that group. He said, however, some layoffs will occur among that group. As one step to save jobs, he plans to add hours at the north side store, Huppin said. No date has been set for the store’s last day. A clearance sale at the downtown stores starts March 22. The North Spokane store is larger, newer, has abundant parking and has been profitable from the day it opened, he added. “There are so many good memories in the downtown location, but the evolution of online retail and our bigger, more accessible location on North Division makes this a good business decision,” Huppin said. In 1908 the first Huppin’s business was a tailor shop in a different downtown location. Over time it evolved into a dry goods retailer and pawn brokerage. In the 1950s Huppin’s evolved into an electronics retailer. It launched its online OneCall store in 1994.