Cluxton’s Jewelry, in business since 1949, is closing this summer, according to owner Kent Harris.

“I don’t know for sure when we’ll be going out of business,” Harris said. “We’ll put it in motion in a week or two and then we have 60 days from whenever we announce it.”

In recent weeks, Harris has been running a retirement sale in observance of his mother, Joan Harris, with up to 60-percent markdowns on some items. Harris said he would begin advertising his going-out-of-business sale within the next two weeks.

“I’m trying to get all the advertising together and that’s when we’ll start the process,” said Harris. “It will probably be the first part of July when we close.”

Harris moved from his longtime location on the northwest corner of the Athens square to a strip mall off U.S. 72 East in October. Harris’s father, Jimmy Harris, purchased the business from John Cluxton in 1974. Cluxton had opened the business in 1949.

At the time, Harris said decreasing downtown traffic hurt his business in the old location.

“We hate it but it’s not from lack of community support,” Harris said.

The former Cluxton’s building sold at auction last month to local businessman Doug Maund, who is Harris’ uncle.

Maund said Friday he had no plans for the building, but he definitely would not be renovating the upper story into a loft apartment. He said he disapproves of the city’s plan to allow loft apartments to be created in the upstairs of downtown businesses because of a fire hazard and parking shortage.

“We’re not New York,” said Maund. “We’re Athens, Alabama, and folks like to park in their front doors. As it is, there are only three parking spaces per business on the square.”