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Every five years or so, C Shop owner Patricia Alesse says she has to ward off rumors of a closure.

Although she and her husband Patrick have never considered selling their shop on the corner of Alderson and Birch Bay Drive, the two are flattered to receive so many phone calls from customers worried about them leaving.

“We even read it in a Bellingham publication, and we had to call them and ask for a retraction,” she said. “Still, it’s kind of fun that people care about it so much and they want it to continue. That the community supports us makes us feel like we do a pretty good job.”