Scotty's is closing for good

<p>Large banners posted on the building and at the entranceway to Scotty's at 5440 NW 13th St. leave no doubt that the hardware store is going out of business. The attempt by Winter Haven-based Scotty's Inc. to reorganize failed and the company is liquidating its assets and closing its more than 30 stores.</p><p>In September 2004, the chain, which was founded 80 years ago, filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in Delaware, seeking court protection from creditors while it developed a reorganization plan. At the time, the company cited damage caused by Hurricane Charley as being the final straw that forced it into U.S. Bankruptcy Court. But at the end of the year, the company sought and received court approval to liquidate its assets.</p><p>The Gainesville store declined comment on exactly when its doors will close for the last time, and calls to the chain's headquarters in Winter Haven were not returned.</p><p>The 13th Street Scotty's has been a fixture along US 441 North for more than a decade. A second store was built off Newberry Road in the early 1990s but closed after several years, and the site later became part of the Plaza Royale mixed-use development.</p><p>While the Gainesville store's property tax payments are current, it is facing a 2004 real estate tax bill of $46,568.34 and a tangibles tax bill of $4,835.85, according to the Alachua County Tax Collector's office. Scotty's Inc. has until March 31 to pay the taxes, before they become delinquent.</p><p><em>Doris Chandler can be reached at (352) 374-5094 or chandld@gvillesun.com</p><p></em></p>