Employees at the Minneapolis-based FirstTech store — the world’s first Apple reseller — learned on Wednesday that the store will be closing down at the end of March, after 73 years in business.

“I had no idea it would happen this soon,” onetime FirstTech worker Tom Schmidt tweeted. “But I honestly thought it was inevitable.”

When Apple first began selling its first personal computers in the late 70s, its first batch went to Team Electronics, which eventually changed its name to FirstTech. The story can be seen in the below video.

Despite being linked with Apple for much of the past 40 years, recently FirstTech found itself unable to compete with Apple Stores — including one which opened in 2010, just blocks away on Hennepin Avenue.

Apple reportedly directed repair jobs on older Macintosh models to FirstTech. According to FirstTech, the person who bought the store’s first Apple II, Lisa and Macintosh computers remains a customer to this day.

The store is currently running a going-out-of-business sale for anyone in the area who wants to visit, and check out a genuine bit of Apple history.

Source: TwinCities