I got the shop working again.
I had previously tried bulldozing and replacing. No luck.
I tried Esther's method of replacing the register. Never got a new employee, no matter if I went at 10am, 1pm, or 5pm. The store was always closed.
So i re-bulldozed and replaced again, figuring an employee and no ability was better than nothing. My consignments popped up ready to cancel, so I cancelled.
I can use the buy again!