PHOTO BY JOSHUA JOHNSON
Writer’s Block Bookstore (Website) will close its Winter Garden location at the end of April after five years in downtown. Owner Lauren Zimmerman announced the closure in an open letter to customers this week on social media, citing a lease termination by the landlord. Per her post, the space is being turned over to a new tenant at a significantly higher rent.
“This is deeply upsetting for our team — and for me personally,” Zimmerman wrote. “I fell in love with Winter Garden from the very beginning.” When we spoke with Zimmerman by phone, she shared, “The future is really uncertain for retail right now. It’s scary out there. Landlords are holding onto short leases, and tenants are scared to sign anything.”
The store has been a fixture in downtown Winter Garden since it opened, building a following among local families, teachers, and readers. The closure is not voluntary, and Zimmerman has made it clear that the timeline was not of her choosing, saying, “Because of all the interest in properties on this street, and some of them going for big numbers, other landlords are upping their rent by like 50% to meet that new market rate. That’s pushing out all of the older businesses.”
The building was purchased by an entity under the purview of June Engineering Consultants in 2006.
Customers will still be able to shop through the Winter Park location (Zimmerman owns that building, so don’t expect that one to go anywhere) and online at writersblockbookstore.com, where pickup and delivery are available.
Though she shared that she’s given up finding a storefront in Winter Garden for the immediate future, she indicated that her team is exploring ways to stay connected with the Winter Garden community through schools, libraries, and local events going forward.
