POOLER, Ga () — The Children’s Museum of Pooler announced that they are closing their doors after losing their lease at Tanger Outlets, leaving them to search for a new home.

The nonprofit was notified last week that Tanger Outlets accepted another company’s lease. News 3 spoke with Executive Director Crys Daniels about the shocking news.

“…Tanger Outlets had leased the space that we’re currently in…to another retailer at a much higher price than we are currently paying,” Daniels said. “We are a nonprofit museum, so we cannot match that rate.”

The news has left them scrambling to figure out what to do next before they close down in April. Daniels said properties that are at least 5,000 square feet are hard to find within their budget.

“We’ve talked to several commercial realtors,” she explained. “The problem that we’re having is that rental and lease rates are so expensive right now for the square footage in Pooler… both Pooler Parkway and Highway 80.”

We are told some parents are shocked by the announcement, receiving dozens of phone calls. Director Sandra Bollig said there is growing concern about the lack of recreational resources for children in the community.

“There has been the outcry from the community,” Bollig said. “It’s that ‘what else is there to do in Pooler?’ Pooler continues to grow as a community. More and more families are relocating to Pooler. But really, if the Children’s Museum of Pooler is not the Children’s Museum of Pooler, then the families in Pooler are the ones that are taking the biggest loss.”

Now, the museum is turning to the community for help.

“If someone has a building they’d like to donate or there’s an area that we could lease, we definitely will consider that course,” Daniels said. “We want to keep this mission going, whether it’s in this community or a nearby community.”

She added, “I know some people have recently purchased memberships. We didn’t realize that we needed to stop selling them right away because of what has happened. We’re asking them to be patient with us as we try to navigate these waters and just to enjoy the museum as much as possible in the next the next two months.”

The museum will close on April 26.

According to the nonprofit, if you have any leads on available properties or are in a position to offer donation pledges towards a property and set up costs, please contact Executive Director Crys Daniels at cdaniels@childrensmuseumofpooler.org or visit their website here.