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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Charlie’s Front Door is about to be locked for good.

An Albuquerque staple for nearly 50 years, the New Mexican food restaurant announced on Facebook Tuesday that this will be its final week of business. It plans to permanently shut down at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Charlie’s Back Door — the bar behind the restaurant — shuttered earlier this month.

Owner Charlie Elias could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but longtime bartender Bridget Windle said the closure was due to his retirement. Elias, she said, will turn 81 later this month.

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Charlie’s has had a long run at Albuquerque’s Hoffmantown Shopping Center near Menaul and Wyoming NE. The Back Door opened there in 1967. The Front Door made its debut three years later.

Fellow Hoffmantown tenant Cassandra Cochran of Country Casuals said Tuesday’s news was both surprising and disappointing.

“We don’t want to see (Charlie’s) leave. They’ve been here forever; their food is good,” she said.

Cochran — whose own store has been at Hoffmantown for 36 years — said she had no inkling Charlie’s was on its way out.

“It was sudden,” she said.

Recent Facebook activity indicates the venue’s closure happened in waves, though perhaps it was not planned that way.

A post from Dec. 19 noted that Charlie’s no longer had a liquor license but was “still serving the same recipes that Albuquerque has loved for nearly 50 years.”

A Jan. 4 post stated that Charlie’s Back Door was closing “although the Front Door is staying open.”

On Tuesday, however, Facebook fans learned the Front Door was also shutting down.

“We are very sorry to announce that Charlie’s Front and Back Door-Native New Mexican Food is CLOSING it’s (sic) doors for good,” the post said. “This is the last week to get your fix at one of Albuquerque (sic) longest running restaurants. … SUNDAY IS THE FINAL DAY FOR CHARLIE’S, so come say goodbye and get some delicious food one last time!”

Several Facebook fans expressed sadness.

“You will be missed!” wrote one commenter.

“Where am I going to get my posole now?” added another.