Wolfe's Topeka close to closing its doors

A downtown Topeka camera shop is considering selling its building and studying options for its future.

Owner of Wolfe's camera shop, Mike Worswick told 13 News that he's actually had his buildings for sale for three years and they're close to having a buyer.

"To make a statement to say Wolfe's is not, I can absolutely assure you that is true today, but I can't promise you that's true a few months into the future," Worswick explained.

Wolfe's has called downtown Topeka home for 96 years, but now, closing is an option.

"The park is getting ready, there's very much interest in downtown I believe the buildings are worth more than 5 years ago and so this just maybe a timing opportunity," Worswick said. "So, that's why I think it's really an opportunity to make a very jazzy, cool, companion element.this is the coolest corner in Topeka."

Worswick says he'd like to update all three buildings to match the new downtown epicenter, "what's so exciting is my dad always wanted downtown to be amazingly successful. so here we have downtown on a revitalization mode and we're so excited that right across the street from our store is going to be this really cool Evergy plaza that's going to have the whole community coming to the front of our building for years to come."

He says if a sale goes through, the store could remain a tenant, if that's what the new owner wants. Wolfe's also may explore relocating or becoming an internet-only business.

"It would be a very hard emotional decision because it's the relationships with our friends and customers that have brought us through 96 years," Worswick emphasized.

Until Wolfe's sells, they are currently still open.

"We are continuing to operate full tilt. We've already placed orders for new cameras, we're not, we haven't stopped buying merchandise," Worswick said. "We're here, we're going to take care of our customers until we move or until we shut down and once that decision is made. We will be telling the world what we're up to."

Wolfe's does have Clearance signs up right now, but Worswick says it's apart of their

not part of any closure.

Worswick also says he is in talks with a serious buyer for the buildings and could finalize a sale this Spring.