Move along, folks! Nothing to see here...

Although 2010 brought a surprising number of store openings—both big and small. It still was a challenging year for retail. Add this to the list of casualties.

Skeletons in the Closet, the official gift shop for the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, has closed.

The closure came as sad news for every publication overly fond of macabre puns.

MediaBistro’s headline declared “L.A. County Coroner Gift Shop is D.O.A.”

Even Australian pub The Age covered the news in a story headlined “""Coroner Kitsch Becoming a Dying Business"".”

As a former Skeletons shopper, I took umbrage at this quote from The Age:

"Everyone who comes in here is kind of weird," said Edna Pereyda, who handles the shop's day-to-day operations. "Why else would you come here?"

Hey, there!

On a bright note, the Coroner’s merch is moving online. So you’ll still be able to get your Coroner tees, hats, mugs and stationary products—as well as a few death-themed gift items. The inventory is not broad, but there are some gems. L.A. County Coroner lunch tote, anyone? Crime Scene Party Tape? In addition to prevalent use of the L.A. County Coroner brand, Keith Haring-esque chalk-outline figures are a recurring motif. "