The owner of Cheap Thrills, Fred Smith, or “Uncle Fred” as he likes to be called, announced he is retiring and closing the store.

The costume shop at 1209 21st St. was slated to close Jan. 31, according to manager Noelle Castro. Once she started calling loyal customers to tell them they were closing, many of them asked to keep it open for a bit longer, she said.

Smith broke the news to his employees about three weeks ago, and Castro said she had heard rumors, but no one believed it until Smith announced it.

“When I was putting up the sign in the window, a tear dropped down from my eye,” she said.

Mike Farrell, who works as a salesman, or “costumer,” started as a seasonal worker for Cheap Thrills in 1998. It was the first vintage store he ever went to, he said.

Farrell said the store is a rite of passage for a lot of people and he is sad to see the store close.

“(It’s) just sad, and kind of depressing on many different levels,” he said. “We are all family. It’s kind of like we are breaking up.”

Castro had a customer tell her, “It’s been an institution for years and years.”

Smith was not available for an interview. Castro and Farrell said they could speak on his behalf.

“(Smith) has put in his time,” Farrell said. “He built the store from the ground up. He’s a self-made man. Sort of like a phoenix rising.”

Farrell added that Smith came from a broken place and reinvented himself, becoming “Mr. Haberdasher” and then employing others, making a good contribution.

The store is a reflection of his life, Farrell said. He was given a second chance, and the clothes represent that.

“Second-hand clothes, second chance at life,” Farrell said.

Castro said Smith opened Cheap Thrills around 1969, when it carried just costumes and formalwear.

It was around 1998 when Smith opened the Zoots Tux & Etc. shop next door, exclusively for zoot suits. People call from different cities just to rent zoot suits, Castro said.

Besides being a collector, Smith has worked in architecture and even had a rabbit farm at one time, she added.

Uncle Fred was more than a boss to his employees.

“The man has helped me in my personal life and professional, especially when it came to business,” Castro said, adding that Smith is like a father to her.

Farrell said Smith helped him to “place stock” within himself.

“When you’re a salesman, one has to sell yourself, and with that comes a certain amount of confidence,” Farrell said. “When I started, I had little to none, and this place helped me to establish myself. Fred had a great deal to do with that.”

Working at Cheap Thrills was like a party, Farrell said, especially at Halloween.

“One year, it got so crazy, we were renting everything to (customers) plus the kitchen sink. Nate (Smith, Fred’s son) rented a piece of the carpet (to a customer),” Farrell said.

Castro said one of her best memories was helping a customer get ready for his wedding.

“We’ve always gone above and beyond for the customers,” she said. “One time, I went to a wedding 30 minutes before it started to deliver formalwear, and I was driving around on I Street to find the location. It was a great feeling.”

She said she isn’t sure when Cheap Thrills will close its doors for good, and that because of so many customer requests to stay open, it’s a day-by-day thing. It could come next week, she said.

Castro has been a part of Cheap Thrills since 1999 and said she will stick with it until the end, like she knows Smith would for her.

The hours of Cheap Thrills will have the same hours until closing, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The store is discounting certain items from 25 percent to 50 percent.