The WeePlay & Learn children's center will be closing its doors for good Nov. 10 following a dispute with landlord Koko Marina Center.

The play center was opened in July 2004 by Mary and Brian Melzack in a 4,000-square-foot space in the Hawai'i Kai complex. For a membership fee, WeePlay provides programs that emphasize interactive parent-child play intended to contribute to the development of children.

The Melzacks also own the Bestsellers Books & Music stores on O'ahu. WeePlay is on the second floor of Koko Marina Center in a space above a former Bestsellers store, which closed in July.

Mary Melzack said she had hoped to open a preschool in the bookstore space, but that plan was rejected by the shopping center. She then wanted to surrender the bookstore's lease, but said that a clause in her rental agreement required that both the bookstore and WeePlay leases would have to be terminated at the same time.

Melzack said in July she was placed on a month-to-month lease and on Sept. 15 was told to be out by Nov. 15. She said she was not successful in negotiating an agreement to keep WeePlay open.

"The minute you close it, you're closing the doors not on the Melzack family or Bestsellers, you're closing the doors on 400 families that come to Koko Marina almost every day to interact with their children," Melzack said.

But the attorney for Koko Marina Holdings LLC said the problem was not with a clause in the Melzacks' lease, but with the couple's failure to keep up with rent payments. Derek Kobayashi did not want to say how much is owed, but said the center did try to work out a payment schedule.

"The center does obviously support its tenants and is interested in ensuring that its tenants and their businesses are profitable and prosperous," Kobayashi said. "But there is a monthslong history of an inability of this particular tenant to resolve its" back rent.

Melzack acknowledged being five months behind on rent, but said she didn't believe this was the reason for evicting WeePlay.

"The issue of occupancy was never based on the arrears or rent. We have every intention of paying that. They're letting the concept go because of better rental rates from other tenants," Melzack said.

Melzack, who is five months pregnant with her fourth child, said she's not sure if she'll open a WeePlay at another location.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.