A children's shop in Bangor is closing its doors. The Mad Hatter opened here three years ago, after a more than 30-year history in Presque Isle.

The Mad Hatter sells all sorts of high-quality children's clothes, from everyday tees to fancy frocks. They have a loyal following of customers, like Jennifer Doyel of Medway.

"It's just good quality stuff. And it's different things that you don't find in other locations," Doyel says.

The store moved into the Bangor Mall last year. Now their lease is up, and owner Harmony Allen says the time has come to close.

"In this economy, it hasn't been worth it to stay open. Maybe another time would have been better. But we opened in '07 and everybody knows what happened in retail that year," Allen says. "The people that used to come in and spend 200-300 dollars or a hundred dollars a visit are now spending 30-40-50, so our average sale has changed."

She tells us she's been talking things over with her mother-- now a silent partner, who opened the first store in Presque Isle 33 years ago. Allen says it's the right decision for them, but it won't be easy.

"I have truly enjoyed being here and I love all the kids. I'm going to miss my customers the most," Allen says.

Her customers say that feeling is mutual.

"She's a great person and a great personality and always had great customer service," Doyel says.

Allen says while she doesn't know what comes next for her, The Mad Hatter will stay open until they sell the rest of their inventory.

"I appreciate all the business. It's been a wonderful ride while it lasted," Allen says. "I'm going to focus on what we have here now which is a lot of inventory which we need to move. I want to get my customers in here and I want to make them happy. And I'm going to continue to do that until we close."

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