LIVONIA (WXYZ) — When Shari Dudek was a child, she couldn't wait to be a teacher so she could shop at The Teacher's Store in Livonia.
Dudek grew up, became a teacher and has been shopping at the store for just about everything a teacher needs to kick off a new school year, from pencils and paper to classroom decorations and science projects.
But after 48 years in business, the owner of the popular store, Ajay Badwar, has decided to retire and sell the building.
"I'm very sad to see this happening," said Gayle Fichtner, a teacher at Christ the King in Detroit.
Fichtner has been teaching for 36 years and says that's how long she's been shopping at the store on Middlebelt near Six Mile Road.
When word began to spread that The Teacher's Store was closing for good, and everything has been marked down 50-percent, the line to get to the register has been long.
Click on the video to hear from teachers as the store that's been a part of their back-to-school planning is closing its doors.
Action News has reached out to Badwar for his thoughts on the last days of his store, but, so far, we've been unable to reach him.
The building has reportedly been sold to a flooring company.
