The Philadelphia Print Shop, a leading purveyor of historic prints and antique maps, announced today it will close its brick-and-mortar gallery in Wayne late this summer and transition to an online business model.
“It’s just not possible to continue to provide the high level of customer service we’re known for in a gallery this size, even in the center of Wayne,” said owner David Mackey. “This change will allow us to continue our tradition of excellent customer service without the challenges of a physical space.”
The Philadelphia Print Shop, established in Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill neighborhood in 1982, relocated to downtown Wayne nearly five years ago when Mackey acquired the nationally known business, whose founder often appeared as a guest expert on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow.
“While we have a first-class gallery with thousands of prints and maps where folks love to browse, it now makes more sense to consider going to an online model, as other dealers have done in recent years,” said Mackey.
Mackey and his two tenured colleagues have built a new e-commerce website that features more than 5,000 individual items where shoppers can browse and purchase. They have been committed to preserving the Shop’s reputation as a “Treasure Trove of History” that boasts more than 80 distinct collections of antique prints, maps, and rare books curated over 40-plus years.
To kick off the transition to an online model, the Shop will hold a Store Closing Sale beginning April 2. All non-consigned inventory will be 50 percent off. Additional incentives, bulk sales, and other enticing offers will follow in the months leading up to the gallery’s closing.
“While we plan to close the shop and will miss the customer interaction, I haven’t lost my passion for antique maps, and we’ll see where that leads,” said Mackey, a licensed commercial real estate broker with Jackson Cross Partners. “Change is good, and I’m excited about what comes next.”
Learn more about the distinguished reputation of The Philadelphia Print Shop and how it operates on a philosophy of offering the finest collection of antique art on paper within a rigorously researched historical context. To contact David Mackey or The Philadelphia Print Shop, visit the website or the Wayne gallery.
