Writer's Block Bookstore will close its location in Winter Garden, Fla., next month "due to significant recent changes in property ownership" downtown. Owner Lauren Zimmerman said the landlord has decided to end the bookshop's lease and enter into an agreement with a new tenant willing to pay substantially more in rent. Writer's Block Bookstore will continue to serve customers at its store in Winter Park and online.
"This is deeply sad news for our staff, customers, and for me personally. I truly fell in love with this city," Zimmerman noted. "The past five years in Winter Garden have been a joy and a privilege. We are grateful to our staff, customers, and community for the support they have shown us since we opened, and we are proud of the role we've played in bringing books, authors, events, and programming to families in Winter Garden. While this chapter is ending sooner than we hoped, our commitment to Winter Garden readers continues."
Writer's Block Bookstore is exploring additional ways to stay connected with Winter Garden through schools, libraries, events, and community partnerships in the months ahead.
In an update, Zimmerman wrote: "Our Winter Garden building has not been sold. We have had the same local landlord for the past five years, and they made the decision to terminate our lease. Because of the incredible support from this community, we are continuing to explore every possible option to remain in Winter Garden and will share updates as we have them. Thank you, always, for the kindness and support you've shown the store."