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Skeletons in the Closet Dying for Your Business
Post-it pad with "L.A. Coroner body notes" available at Skeletons in the Closet
The LA County Coroner's gift shop "Skeletons in the Closet" has fallen on tougher than previously tough times recently. Though the shop has operated at a loss for years, the very program its sales were meant to bolster is subsidizing the shop instead and if sales don't turn around soon, it may be forced to close, according to the New York Times.At the height of maudlin sales in 2003, Skeletons in the Closet brought in $280,000. Yet just last year, sales were down to $151,000. Edna Pereyda, the shop's manager, has warned recent police officer shoppers that "If you like something you should get it now" because "you never know when it will be gone."
Without a boost in sales from serious shoppers instead of the merely curious tour groups and tourists that visit on a regular basis, the shop may shutter. Christmas gift-giving may be over, but there's no reason Angelenos can't get on down to the Coroner's office and pick up a few body bags and toe tags to ring in the New Year.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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