Andy Davis

aldavis@press-citizen.com

Downtown Iowa City's "one-stop shop" The Den will be closing its doors before the end of the year.

Craig Spencer, supervisor of the Iowa City store, said the store's lease ends on Dec. 31 and that the decision was made to not seek renewal. Multiple factors, including high rents and construction, led to the decision to close, Spencer said.

"With the lease being up, it kind of came down to that question of whether to stick around or go ahead and close. The Washington Street streetscape project really did us in," Spencer said. "It will be worth it when that work is all done, but now seems like a good time to look into some other options."

The store is one of seven similar locations owned by the same company. The first, The Discount Den, opened in Bloomington, Ill., in 1970, Spencer said, and carried the same one-stop-shop slogan.

"That was before we got into college and professional sports memorabilia. It started as something like a dime store to go to when you wanted penny candy or something quick like that," he said.

Iowa City's store began under the same Discount Den name on the pedestrian mall and for the past 15 years has had a Washington Street storefront. With a change in name, The Den sat for five years where the Artisan's Gallery now is located at 207 E. Washington St. before moving to its current 123 E. Washington St. address.

The store carries University of Iowa and custom apparel, Hawkeyes memorabilia, sundries and sells tobacco products on the second floor. The Discount Den company also has stores in college towns in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan with varying location names.

With the lease ending soon, Spencer said the store will likely be open for another three weeks and will offer discounts between 30 and 40 percent heading into the holiday shopping season.

Spencer said the store also will scout out other locations, either in Iowa City or elsewhere in the state.

"We haven't made the decision to leave Iowa City for good. We like Iowa City, and we've been here for a long time. The new store might have a different name, but while we're looking, the main thing will be finding the right spot and working out a deal that works for everybody."

Reach Andy Davis at 319-887-5404 or at aldavis@press-citizen.com, and follow him on Twitter as @BylineAndyDavis.