Doors closed for good at E.L. Barnes & Noble
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The East Lansing branch of Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 333 E. Grand River Ave., now is officially closed, leaving behind an open space among the city’s downtown retailers.
The store’s last day of business was Dec. 31. A store manager declined to comment on the closing just a few hours before the store closed.
Company officials previously had announced the store’s closure in September because of the expiration of the company’s lease on the property. The property is owned by City Center Partners 2 LLC. The property’s managing partner is The Christman Company.
Barnes & Noble has spent 10 years at the site, which formerly was occupied by Jacobson’s Department Store.
Jim Cash, chief operating officer of The Christman Company, said his office had discussed various lease arrangements for several years with Barnes & Noble, but the two sides ultimately were unable to come to an agreement on the terms of the lease.
Barnes & Noble has another location in the area, at the Lansing Mall, 5132 W. Saginaw Highway. A manager at the Lansing location said he could not comment on whether any employees from the East Lansing store would transfer to the Lansing location.
Check next week’s print edition of The State News for an update on this story.
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s2
(01/03/12 1:54pm)Report
I will miss the bookstore. I love buying and perusing books and magazines there. I think the community needs a good book store that appeals to a variety of citizens while maintaining a community feel. I think B&N did a good job and hope something equally fun will come soon.
Robert Vankirk
(01/03/12 2:40pm)Report
Really sad to see this store go… let’s hope that the city finds someone to fill the empty storefront.
James
(01/08/12 4:15am)Report
It’s too bad a book store couldn’t stay open in a college town. I preferred Curious Book Shop to Barnes and Noble though. “I think the community needs a good book store that appeals to a variety of citizens while maintaining a community feel.” Isn’t that what a library is? Instead of buying the book it’s free for a little bit though.