Spinner Plastics, a longtime local business known for making signs, badges, awards and specialty advertising products, closed its doors on March 29. Chris Spinner has owned the business since 1983, but says it’s been a struggle in recent years.

“This building is eating me alive. For a long time it was a great building, the right size for a dozen or so people,” he said. “But as we downsized and the business shrank, the expenses were still there: property taxes, heating and cooling, maintenance.”

Spinner said that United Community Bank is foreclosing on the building, located at 1108 N. First St. in Springfield near Memorial Medical Center.

“I’m going to look at doing something else, not necessarily being my own boss anymore,” he said. “It’s been 35 years now, and it’s time for me to do something new. It’s been really interesting and mostly fun. I’ve learned a lot, and helped a lot of people.”