GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A trio of Grand Rapids antique stores could be forced out of their historic home, pending a court ruling.
On Friday, the court-appointed receiver over the Sligh Furniture Co. building filed a motion to close the five-story facility, citing safety concerns and a lack of revenue for maintenance and repairs.
For more than a decade, the former factory has held Warehouse One Antiques, Century Antiques and Lost and Found Treasures of Old and New which, in collaboration with their vendors, sell vintage furniture, clothing, collectibles, home decor and more.
"It's not just about us," said Mary Beth Schutt, owner of Warehouse One Antiques. "It's about Grand Rapids, too."
"When you walk through [our stores], you're not just looking at antiques, you're looking at history," she said.
In June, the Sligh building was placed into a receivership — a court-ordered remedy in which a neutral third-party is appointed to manage property during a legal dispute — after its owners failed to pay loans on the property.
According to the motion, the building's receiver, John Polderman, "believes that closure of the building is the only viable option."
"The building is not safe and placing band-aids is not cost effective in the long run," he said in the court filing, citing a cracked support beam on the fifth floor and "sagging" portions of the roof.
Polderman says repairs for these sections of the former factory would cost an estimated $1.4 million while a complete roof replacement would total $2.5 million.
The building, he suggests, should be vacated "by the time there is a heavy load of snow on the roof," with tenants being given 30 days notice to leave.
Then, the building would be winterized and the property maintained with a basic security presence before being put up for public sale or sold to the lender, the Grand Rapids Township-based Red Oak Income Opportunity Fund LLC.
"While arguably the receivership order allows the receiver to take all necessary action, the receiver believes it to be the better part of wisdom to notify the parties of the current conditions and obtain court approval to shutter the building," Polderman said.
A hearing for the motion in Kent County 17th Circuit Court has been scheduled for December 4, 2025.
When the owners of the three antique stores were served court papers last week, they were "shocked."
"We were all like deer in the headlights. Oh my gosh, not today," Schutt said.
At the time, they were preparing for their Deer Hunter's Widow Sale, which happens annually on the opening weekend of deer firearm season in Michigan and is marked by special offers and late-night hours.
"We called each other and talked," she said. "We'll handle this and see where we go from here and be ready for anything that gets thrown at us."
If the stores are forced to leave the building, Schutt says they want to stay together. Still, they'd rather stay put in the building that not only houses their treasures and trinkets, but history, too.
“If we had to move into a box store, it would lose some of its charm," she said.
"I mean, you can't replicate that in an old KMart store."
As for the current condition of the building, the store owners say they feel safe doing business beneath its roof and within its brick walls.
"Actually, it makes me a little angry," said Mark Miller, co-owner of Lost and Found Treasures New and Old.
Miller says a portion of his lease payment is put toward "common area maintenance," but doesn't feel as if those funds have been properly spent over the years by the building's owners and its current receiver.
"You take my money that you're supposed to be fixing the building with and do something else with it," he said. "I mean, fix the roof. How hard is that?"
For Miller, too, the Sligh building has a character to itself that won't be able to move to a new spot. It's creaky, wooden floors and labyrinth-like interior won't simply be relocated.
"We have to stop as a community, and ask ourselves, is that what we want for our future?" Miller said. "Do we want all new stuff? Do we want monoculture, retail?"
A total of 20 tenants currently occupy the former factory, according to the motion.
This doesn't only affect three small businesses in Grand Rapids," Schutt said. "We're going to try our best to continue our legend here."
