Rent had also gone unpaid.
Hampton Jewelers in Okemos, MI, has closed, with the local township seizing its equipment as a result of delinquent property taxes, the Lansing State Journal reports.
The store was evicted from its space for not paying rent, according to the newspaper.
About $1,100 in personal property taxes was owed to Meridian Township and $24,500 was owed to Lansing Township, where the store was previously located. Proceeds from a planned auction of the seized equipment, including items such as safes and office furniture, will be applied to the tax debt.
Chad Biersbach, owner of the property where Hampton Jewelers operated, said rent for January had gone unpaid, and the business had paid late in the past. A bill for upkeep was also unpaid, the Journal reports.
Harold Hampton, owner of the store, said he’d recently been in the hospital and had been planning to hold a liquidation sale and shut down the store in the spring. He said business had been slow.
Hampton said he will ensure that any jewelry he was repairing or was holding on consignment is returned to its owner.
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