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Beloved North Park newsstand closing after 70 years

Posted at 6:49 PM, Dec 10, 2019
and last updated 2019-12-10 23:00:23-05

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Whether you're into cars, fashion, history, or current events, you could find it in a magazine at Paras News.

Now the beloved North Park newsstand is closing down after 70 years.

"For a lot of people, they're here every day. It's their mainstay," said Ken Gabbara, owner of Paras News for the last 11 years.

Health concerns are just one of the reasons he's letting the iconic shop go.

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"The Internet has worn us down because they're bigger and stronger than us. You can't compete with something they give away for free for the most part," said Gabbara.

At one time, they sold over 4,000 types of magazines, but with less published nowadays, that number dropped to 2,500.

Longtime customers are sad to see the neighborhood establishment go.

"It's going to be missed, it's really going to be missed," said Sharon Maynard, a customer of 35 years.

Maynard fell in love with the literary and poetry magazines.

"Now they just go online, but for me, there's nothing better than having it in your hand in print," said Maynard.

Also sad to see the newsstand go is manager Kent Snyder, who's worked at Paras for 33 years.

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"We made an effort to bring stuff into the store that other places don't carry, when they asked for it I ordered it," Snyder.

Employees invite the community to buy one more magazine, so they have something of Paras News to hold onto.

"We're one of a kind," said Gabbara.

Paras News will remain open until the end of December.