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"I'm sad to report that MacPherson’s Fruit & Produce, a neighborhood icon on the corner of 15th Avenue and Columbian Way, is running a “going out of business” sale as it tries to shed inventory before closing on October 8. Manager Elias Benitez told the Seattle Times that rising produce costs made it hard to maintain the low prices the shop was known for, and bookkeeper Marilyn Dimalanta told the South Seattle Emerald that higher overhead, rising legal minimum wages, and a labor shortage made it impossible to continue paying employees. Founder Greg MacPherson, who moved his stand from Pike Place Market to Beacon Hill in the 1980s, has decided to retire at 75 rather than fight these market forces, which is a real blow to a neighborhood that doesn't have a surplus of grocery stores." - Harry Cheadle