WINTER GARDEN, Fla. \u2013 Downtown Winter Garden is known for its unique charm and locally owned small businesses. But in recent weeks, several businesses have announced closures \u2014 and the changes appear to be continuing.<\/p>\n
News 6 has reported on multiple small businesses shutting their doors in the area. Now, another well-known shop says it will soon be closing as well \u2014 but the reason, while different, is still heartbreaking for loyal customers.<\/p>\n
Inside Writer\u2019s Block Bookstore, customers browse shelves searching for their next read, many saying supporting small businesses is important to them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really believe in supporting small businesses,\u201d one shopper said.<\/p>\n
But after five years in downtown Winter Garden, the charming bookstore announced it will close next month.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to see them flourish. And when I see them get canceled like this, it just makes me really sad,\u201d another customer said.<\/p>\n
According to the store, its lease is ending and the rent would nearly triple \u2014 a cost the business says it cannot afford. The owner said the increase is happening despite there not yet being a new landlord. <\/p>\n
Customers say the closure is part of a troubling pattern.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve experienced a lot of loss in Winter Garden \u2014 several of my favorite places,\u201d another resident said. \u201cI just heard about this one a day or two ago, and it just makes me really sad.\u201d<\/p>\n
As downtown Winter Garden has become a hot real estate market, several small businesses have closed after their buildings were purchased by new landlords \u2014 raising concerns about what the future could hold for the once distinctly small-town downtown district.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know it\u2019s seen a lot of changes with the small businesses. I\u2019m nervous about it,\u201d one resident said.<\/p>\n
For many shoppers, the bookstore represents more than just a place to buy a book \u2014 it\u2019s part of the community\u2019s character.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re good people. They\u2019re hardworking people, honest people,\u201d one supporter said.<\/p>\n
The warm and inviting space has also attracted tourists visiting from out of state, many saying locally owned bookstores offer something bigger retailers cannot.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s sad because we have mom-and-pop bookstores around us, and they\u2019re better than bigger ones,\u201d another shopper said.<\/p>\n
According to Sunbiz, the building that houses the bookstore is owned by JKSH Properties LLC. News 6 has reached out to the company for comment.<\/p>\n
For now, loyal customers say they hope whatever comes next for downtown Winter Garden doesn\u2019t dramatically change what has made the area special.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease remember this is a small town, and we like our small businesses here,\u201d one resident said.<\/p>\n
The owner states they are exploring other options to continue serving customers who share a passion for books.<\/p>\n
Breaking News Alerts<\/p>\n
Get breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WINTER GARDEN, Fla. \u2013 Downtown Winter Garden is known for its unique charm and locally owned small businesses.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":189570,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[558,1335,139,141,140,25863],"class_list":["post-189569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-business","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-winter-garden"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189569\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/189570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=189569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=189569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}