After 26 years, the last day of business for Dee's Hallmark in Dearborn is Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012.

After 26 years of serving Dearborn, Dee’s Hallmark on Michigan Avenue will officially close its doors Sunday afternoon.

What remains in the store is all marked at 75 percent off. Bargain seekers will have until close of business today,  Feb. 26, to snap it up. Otherwise, store owners Don and Dee Belcher will pack all of the stuff up and take it home.

For those of us who like a good Hallmark store, there remains a good one in Dearborn’s Fairlane Town Center mall. That Hallmark is a corporate-owned store and is well kept and has a great selection of all things Hallmark. A clerk in Dee’s Hallmark said there is another Hallmark card shop in a strip mall at Cherry Hill and Merriman.

The Belchers are closing the store so they can retire. Clerks in the store say paid parking, which has hurt business, helped expedite the couple’s retirement plans.

The Dee’s Hallmark building remains for sale for a price of about $640,000.

When we wrote about the building being put on the sales block more than two years ago, Mr. Belcher said in a note he would do all he could to remain open even if it meant moving to a new location.

“My commitment to survival has always been strong but after closing (3) other stores and using the money to keep Dee’s going there was not enough left to (purchase the building Dee’s is currently located),” Mr. Belcher wrote in 2009. “It is common knowledge that this is not the best time to sell commercial property as evidenced by the many vacancies in our area. However should it sell I will make every effort to negotiate a favorable lease agreement with the new owner. If that is not possible I will look to relocate as close to my current location as I can. A smarter man would have given up long ago I think I’m just to dumb to know when it’s time to quit!!!!”

Dee’s hung on for as long as they could.

We will miss what was easily the best card shop in Dearborn.