NORTHAMPTON — BRW Electronics, the former RadioShack franchisee with stores in the city and in Brattleboro, Vermont, will close its business within the next 45 days.
The Northampton store is tentatively set to close on May 6 and the Brattleboro store will be closed by June 1.
BRW opened for business on Putney Road in Brattleboro in 1983 and has served the community there for the past 35 years.
The company had operated for many years in Greenfield and moved into the former RadioShack space on King Street in Northampton a year ago.
BRW has begun its store closing sale with all merchandise at least 20 percent off. Discounts will get progressively higher in the weeks to follow, with all inventory to be sold by June 1. All store fixtures and furniture are also for sale.
Regarding the closing of its stores, co-owner Ira Brezinsky said, “I wish to thank all of our wonderful and loyal customers in the Brattleboro, Greenfield and Northampton areas who have supported us for so many years. As is the case with so many other brick and mortar stores, online competition has made our business difficult to sustain, so it is time to move on.”
Brezinsky also thanked his sales team.
BRW Electronics got its start as a RadioShack franchise in Brattleboro in 1983 and soon grew into its own brand with a second location in Greenfield.
In early 2017, the Greenfield store’s lease was up. When Brezinsky saw that the King Street location in Northampton was opening up, the he decided to change locations and open a branch in Paradise City.
A longtime South Hadley resident, Brezinsky has been a volunteer in the community for nearly 30 years, serving on the School Committee and the Select Board.
He is also president of Music and Arts South Hadley, an organization that promotes the arts in that community.
Music has been a lifelong passion for Brezinsky. Thirty-seven years ago, before he got into electronics, he worked as a high school band director.