Varney's, Manhattan, Kan., an off-campus store that has served Kansas State University for 126 years, is closing at the end of the month, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported.
Varney's will close all of its three locations, in Aggieville, the Manhattan Town Center Mall and Salina. Varney's sells textbooks, office supplies, art supplies and clothing, mostly oriented toward K-State fans. "The news was met online with melancholia and surprise," the paper said.
On the store's website, owner Jon Levin and family wrote that they were closing "with great sadness" and thanked "all of our employees who through the years have helped make us who we were. Many worked as part time student employees while going to school at K-State. Others worked full time and dedicated many years of their careers working with us. We truly appreciate each and every one of you.
"We also want to say thank you to the hundreds of thousands of customers, who for over a century have come through our doors, shopped through our catalogs, clicked through our websites, gathered with us at many a bowl game, celebrated New Year's, and watched a parade or two in Aggieville. Many of you have followed us on Facebook and Twitter as well. No matter how you came to us, it was a privilege serving each and every one of you.
"We are proud of the contributions we have made to our community over the years both as a business and as individual community leaders. Manhattan is a great place and we still hold an optimistic view of the region's future. We see many positive things happening here. As individuals, we look forward to helping with that vision for both Manhattan and K-State."