KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – Santa Fe Electronics closed its doors at the close of business on Friday, March 31, after meeting the electronic needs of the people in Keystone Heights for 21 years.

The downtown store provided phones, phone services, computers and computer accessories such as cables, routers and computer hardware. The store also repaired computers, phones, screens and offered toys and appliance to their customers. “I feel like I have been fortunate,” owner Graylyn Tanner-Rice said. “I’ve had some great employees, built some long-term relationships, and meet neat people. It’s hard to walk away from it, but you have to realize and listen to yourself to know when it’s time to go on to your next chapter.”

The decision to close the store resulted from multiple factors, such as the long late-night hours and the hassle of operating a retail store. In addition, the store struggled to compete with competitive pricing, shipping and online shopping like Amazon. Tanner-Rice also wanted to be able to spend more time with her elderly mother.

She decided to close after having an open conversation with her employees about the store’s future.

“We all realized at that point through having that open conversation that we all were ready to go do something else.”

During the past 21 years, Santa Fe Electronics has helped many people with their electronic needs. Thanks to its tech-savvy team, the store never failed to keep up with new technology. In addition, Tanner-Rice has formed lasting relationships with her customers.

“We’ve met a lot of wonderful people,” she said.

Tanner-Rice won’t miss the hassle and demanding hours a business requires. But she will miss seeing friends and loyal customers.

What happens to the business and the building is unknown, but Tanner-Rice plans to spend more time with her mother and keep working after the store closes.

“I would like to get into the travel industry in some form. I love to travel, and I would like to find some way to incorporate that into something I can do,” she said.