Berkely’s Doll Hospital & Toy Soldier shop closing

An iconic Metro Detroit toy store isn’t playing around when it says it’s closing up shop.

The Doll Hospital & Toy Soldier Shop in Berkley said Monday it is going out of business after 70 years.

“This is a sad day for the entire Doll Hospital family, but as some folks may have heard and began posting, we are going to be closing up shop,” the store’s owners said Monday in a Facebook post. “The reality was that the pressures of online retail finally got to us… despite twenty years of working hard to adapt. We outlasted a whole string of larger companies, and we’re proud of that.

“We are privileged to have been a part of the wonderful Berkley community since 1948 and thank you for your business and friendship over the years!”

The store opened in 1948 in Detroit by Kathryn Parish. In 1951, it moved to its location at 3947 W. 12 Mile in Berkley.

Parish’s son, Jack, and his wife, Ruth, took over the store in the 1970s.

Her grandchildren later ran the store.

The owners also said they made the decision after careful consideration. The store will begin a closing and liquidation sale at 10 a.m. Thursday, they said.

“We will miss the excitement, joy and wonder, seen through the eyes of a child when visiting The Doll Hospital,” the business said in its Facebook post.

Friends and family responded to news of the store’s closing.

The Center for Computer Resources, an information technology support services in Sterling Heights, was among them.

“CCR was founded by the owner of The Doll Hospital & Toy Soldier Shop, Jack Parish,” the company said in a tweet Tuesday.

“While we are devastated to hear that the store is closing, we are also so very thankful for so many years of memories the shop brought to the Berkley community.”

cramirez@detroitnews.com