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Schuler Books to close in February, closing sale ongoing

January 12, 2018
<p>Schuler Books in the Eastwood Towne Center is pictured on Jan. 9, 2018. The location will be closing in early February.</p>

Schuler Books in the Eastwood Towne Center is pictured on Jan. 9, 2018. The location will be closing in early February.

Photo by Souichi Terada | The State News

The Schuler Books store at Eastwood Towne Center is closing in early February because of real estate issues.

The Eastwood Towne Center location has been open for 15 years. A few years after the location opened, real estate taxes for the store increased when mall ownership changed, owners Bill and Cecile Fehsenfeld said in a Facebook post.

The real estate taxes at the Eastwood Towne Center, managed by Retail Properties of America, are quadruple what the company pays for the Okemos location. 

Schuler Books locations in Okemos and Grand Rapids will remain open. 

“We would like to thank Schuler Books for serving the Lansing community for the last 15 years,” assistant vice president of corporate branding and communication for Retail Properties of America, Tim O’Connell, wrote in an email. “While its residency at Eastwood Towne Center is ending, our goal is to continue to add viable, interesting and relevant shops, services, restaurants and events while maintaining our longstanding commitment to serve the greater Lansing community.”

An administration representative for Schuler Books could not be reached for comment after multiple attempts.

At the end of the lease, the store was set to be reconfigured, leaving the store without its café, according to the Facebook post. The rent per square foot for the store would have also risen.

“Because we have loved having a store here, and value our terrific staff and wonderful customers, we took a long hard look at whether we could make the store work in this new configuration and cost structure,” the owners wrote in the Facebook post. “In the end we concluded there was too much risk that the store would not be economically viable over the new lease term.”

A closing sale began Jan. 10 with 25 percent off all books and media and 50 percent off all gift and used merchandise. Some store fixtures and café equipment will be available for purchase as well. 

Schuler Books will continue to look for opportunities for "new growth areas that ensure the future strength of the company as a whole," the owners wrote in the post.

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