Close-out sale continues for Matthews holiday shop going out of business

There's still time to grab baby's first Christmas ornament at the same Matthews shop where customers can buy a rabbit cookie cutter for Easter and an American red gingham beverage napkin for the Fourth of July.

Connie Kleinberg told the Observer in July she will be closing Matthews Holiday Haus gift shop on North Trade Street after a recent hospitalization.

A close-out sale, touting bargains that cut prices on some merchandise by 30 to 70 percent, continues with no clear end in sight, but Kleinberg said this week she hopes all the store's inventory is out of her store by the beginning of December.

Talking about the shop's closing is difficult for Kleinberg, who kept it going for 17 years. She and her husband, Al, started the business together when they retired to North Carolina from New York.

After a year of "watching the lawn grow," Kleinberg said she sought something to do. "A New York City girl" at heart who "always liked Christmas...and always liked pretty things," Kleinberg decided to open a shop selling Christmastime decor, along with trinkets from every other holiday. 

"It became a very unique place to shop," she said. "It just grew."

Once all the merchandise is off the shelves, Kleinberg plans to sell the building, which still has its original cabinetry, ceilings, floors and walls. 

Decorations for St. Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Christmas and everyday home decor are still available. 

--Jonathan McFadden