PROVIDENCE -- East Side neighborhood landmark Books on the Square is up for sale after a lengthy dispute with the city over taxes.

Store owner Sarah Zacks put the bookstore, which has served as something of a de facto community center in Wayland Square for more than a decade, into state receivership a year ago rather than settle a tax bill that had topped $221,000. With interest, the bill hit more than $350,000 by July 2005.

The bill is for taxes due on the books and other inventory in the 3,000-square-foot store Zacks leases at 471 Angell St.

A sale could come fairly soon, said a court-appointed receiver.

The dispute over how much Zacks owes the city has stretched on for years, said Peter J. Furness, the Providence lawyer who was appointed receiver last year by a state Superior Court judge.

"Both sides are fairly entrenched," Furness said.

As part of his duties managing the store's operation, Furness has been seeking a buyer for the business.

There is some interest in the business, he said, and he expects to present a prospective deal to a judge in the coming weeks.

Zacks has not submitted an offer to buy back the business, he said.

She was out of the country last week, according to store employees, and could not be reached for comment.

A sale is unlikely to generate enough money to cover the tax bill and the store's other obligations, he said.

Potential buyers have suggested they would keep up a bookstore in the space.

pgrimald@projo.com / (401) 277-7356