EAST BRUNSWICK -- The Grinch made an early visit to Bill and Diane Kohlhepp in the form of a letter from the new owners of the Brunswick Square Mall on Route 18 where the couple have sold Christmas trees on property they have leased for 38 years.

The letter said the lease wouldn't be renewed because the new owners do not allow any leasing of outside space, according to Bill Kohlhepp.

"We've been there since the mall first opened," he said.

The couple got the news first from the mall management and appealed it to the new owners, WP Glimcher, an Ohio-based realty firm that took over in January from Simon Properties, the mall's longtime owners.

"It was so disheartening," Bill Kohlhepp said. "We tried to explain to them that we're a local business. They said they don't allow any leasing to outside businesses because they are turning it into an upscale mall. I said we aren't like any other outside businesses. We lost our appeal. We learned that Monday."

The couple drew thousands of customers from all over the central part of the state he said and anyone who has heard of their plight has been upset.

"People say they can't do this to us, but, of course they can," Kohlhepp said. "We're trying to find another site in the East Brunswick area, but that's not easy. We may be forced into retirement."

The Kohlepps own their own business, Coastal Evergreen, and have tree farms where they grow Christmas trees in North Carolina. They sell their trees to other garden centers, but even though their other business is much bigger, they kept their business at the Brunswick Square Mall for personal reasons.

"I opened that business when I was an East Brunswick police officer and started that business to make extra money," he said, explaining he'd buy trees to sell at first." Over the years, I kept it. We enjoyed it and we enjoyed our customers."

Diane Kohlhepp, who said she has been handling most of the negotiating with the new mall owners, said she has more "fire (and anger) than my husband because I think he's still in shock and is still ready to fight.

She said she is still hopeful that "Mr. and Mrs. Claus" will be selling trees and greeting people this Christmas as they have for 38 years somewhere in East Brunswick.

Representatives for WP Glimcher and Brunswick Square Mall would not comment on the lease with the Kohlhepps or leasing policies.

Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.