After 24 years in business at 3902 A St. SE, Bartell Drugs in Auburn closes for good on Sept. 29.

Store employees, citing company policy, declined to comment Monday afternoon, but referred all inquiries to headquarters in Seattle.

Company spokesperson Hannah Kubiak said late Monday afternoon that a lot of deliberation went into the decision to close the Auburn store.

“While we value our customer base in Auburn, the changes in the area and the cost of doing business at this particular location outweigh the benefit of remaining open,” Kubiak said.

Kubiak said ownership will work with its employees in Auburn to “identify another opportunity” within the company.

Closure at the Auburn store coincides with the closure of the Bartell at Third and Union in Seattle, where the company cited high crime in that area as a major part of that decision.

As the owner of a family-owned chain of pharmacies in the Puget Sound Region founded in 1890. Bartell claims to be “the nation’s oldest family-owned drugstore chain.”

Serving primarily the Seattle area, Bartell Drugs operates stores in Snohomish and Pierce counties, too. As of February 2019 there were 68 stores in the Puget Sound region.

Soon, make that 66.