The effects of online shopping have led to a business casualty in Mitchell.
The former Business Products Inc., or BPI, now known as Innovative Office Solutions, will close its doors on Monday, ending nearly 40 years of retail operations at the 215 N. Lawler St. storefront.
Russ Heins, general manager at Innovative Office Solutions in Sioux Falls, oversees the South Dakota operations, which are located in Mitchell and Sioux Falls. He directly cited online shopping as the main reason for the company's decision to close the Mitchell store.
"We're going more toward online and that's obviously where things are going for many retail operations," Heins said.
Innovative Office Solutions is a Minnesota-based office furniture and supplies retail company with locations in South Dakota, North Dakota, as well. The company, founded in 2001, purchased Brown and Saenger, a Sioux Falls office and supplies company that dates back to 1889, on Jan. 1, 2018. In a memo at the time of the merger, Innovative said it holds the office supply contracts for the states of North Dakota and South Dakota.
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Karen Larson, account manager at Innovative Office Solutions in Mitchell, has seen the emergence of online shopping and its effects on retail storefronts during her 25 years of working at the former BPI.
"It's sad to see this place go, and I will miss it," Larson said. "More and more people use online shopping now."
BPI was established in 1979 and enjoyed nearly 40 years of doing business in Mitchell. Despite Innovative closing the former BPI retail location, Heins said the company will be offering the same service and products online.
"We will still be servicing the Mitchell area through our online website," Heins said.
Similar to BPI, Innovative sells a wide array of office supplies, ranging from printing items, coffee supplies and office furniture.
"As of now, we're unsure of what we will do with the building, but we might explore other options for the Mitchell location," Heins said.
