Maxbauer is closing its downtown Traverse City store on Union Street and consolidating operations at its other location - The Butcher's Block on South Airport Road - according to a Saturday announcement from owner Mark Wilson.

In an email to customers, Wilson said a number of factors are contributing to the downtown store closure, including "the changes in retail, labor shortages, and how consumers are buying." Maxbauer on Union Street "can no longer function in its current setup as it has for so many decades," Wilson wrote. "Sadly, the high rent district in Traverse City and old-fashioned infrastructure can no longer sustain the volume nor the future with the continuing rising costs."

Wilson purchased Maxbauer from Mike Deering in August 2012, then opened The Butcher's Block in 2021. Writing that "it’s time to pass the baton," Wilson said he is "fully transferring the (Maxbauer) business to The Butcher's Block on South Airport." He continued that Maxbauer, "like Camelot, was an experience really unchallenged because of the spark in the heart of the company, and I have loved the opportunity to serve you in our downtown community...now, I ask you to walk with me along this journey into the future and follow me to my new endeavor on South Airport." He added: "I guarantee that what I save in high downtown rent, I’ll be passing on to you!"

Wilson wrote that "exciting times" are coming for The Butcher's Block "with nationwide shipping through Truly Free Market, a local company who believes in the power of small business." He did not share a closing date for the Union Street store, though said more announcements regarding the transition to The Butcker's Block will follow on social media.