Teresa Ullman of Fleming looks over Coca-Cola items in a booth at Peddler’s Junction Monday. The last day for customer sales is Thursday. (Photo by Michele Newbanks)

BELPRE — Long lines have been meeting customers at Peddler’s Junction in Belpre as final sales are rung up at the shop.

A Facebook message was posted last week about the closing of the establishment.

“On (Sept. 21), we were notified by our landlord that we must leave our leased location at 1818 Washington Blvd. in Belpre,” the message stated.

Construction renovations of the plaza are an ongoing effort by the landlord, and in the lease termination letter, it was noted “(the landlord) intends to commence extensive renovations on the leased building; occupancy of the space will not be possible andor safe during the construction period.”

Abbey Tanner, COO of Tanner Property Management Inc., owner of the Peddler’s Junction locations in Belpre and Lancaster, said they are to be vacated by Oct. 31, so having final sales on Thursday will allow the vendors a month to clear out their booths.

“We have roughly 200 vendors and they were just as surprised as us,” Tanner said. “It’s not as easy for us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps because we’re not a big corporation. It takes us a little more work and brain power.”

The company is trying to find the right location to move to and it could be anywhere in the Mid-Ohio Valley, she said.

“We definitely need a large space and we’ve looked at quite a few locations,” Tanner said. “We have right around 41,000 square feet and we need something comparable.”

In August, it celebrated its 10th anniversary.

“We cannot say thank you enough to the customers who have supported us (and our vendors) over the past 10 years at the Belpre, Ohio, location,” the Facebook post said. “We are deeply saddened to be forced to close our doors.”

To help clear out merchandise, vendors have their goods at a 15-75 percent discount, Tanner said.

Customers are seeing long lines as there is a long discount list. During checkout, items must be checked against the list to see the percentage of discount.

“Vendors are seeing the influx of customer traffic, so the list is constantly changing,” she said. “They see that 50 percent is going well, so they bump it to 75.”

Teresa Ullman of Fleming was among shoppers Monday afternoon. She has visited Peddler’s Junction often for cake decorating supplies she couldn’t find anywhere else.

“I just do it for fun,” she said of decorating cakes. “I took a cake decorating class when I was about 20.”

She had certain booths she checked for new items, including a booth containing Coca-Cola items, which her daughter collects.

“She only likes certain items,” Ullman said. “For instance, she doesn’t like this girl (in the advertisement).”

Abraham Sellers, legal counsel for the landlord, Jetlag LLC, said the group acquired the property in November.

“Peddler’s Junction does not have a written lease concerning the subject premises. Its lease expired on May 10, 2020,” he said Monday night. “The prior owner and the current owner permitted it to occupy the property on a month-to-month basis only. No written lease has been terminated by the landlord. Rather, the landlord simply notified Peddler’s that it would not be renewing its month-to-month tenancy beyond Nov. 1, 2021.”

He said when the termination notice was delivered, the landlord advised in writing that if it, or the vendors, needed additional time to vacate in early November, it would accommodate the request.

“Although not legally required to do so, the landlord also notified Peddler’s that it is willing to waive any further rent due by Peddler’s, provided that it vacates the premises on or before Nov. 15,” Sellers said. “As of (Monday night), the landlord’s gesture has gone unanswered by Peddler’s.”

He noted the landlord has committed to a major renovation project of the property, including a total roof replacement, the installation of a sprinkler system, and new utility and HVAC systems.

“Undertaking such work in an occupied retail space is simply not possible for many reasons, including safety,” Sellers said.