.
Feedback

Barnes & Noble To Close More Stores: Would You Miss The Ones Nearby?

Company announces it'll shut down 20 stores a year over the next decade.

Do you still shop at Barnes & Noble bookstores?

Apparently not enough people go to B&Ns nationwide.

Company executives told the Wall Street Journal they plan to close 20 stores a year over the next decade.

No specific stores have been targeted yet for closure.

In the Seattle area, there are about a dozen Barnes & Noble stores, including two in Bellevue – one downtown and one at Crossroads Bellevue shopping center, and stores in Woodinville, Issaquah and Lakewood.

If no new stores were opened, that would reduce the number of Barnes & Noble stores nationwide by a third, the Huffington Post reported.

Since 2003, the company has been closing 15 stores a year, but they've also been opening more than 30 a year.

Last year, however, Barnes & Noble closed 14 stores and didn't open any, the Huffington Post reported.

One reason is a steady decline in book sales. Print book sales have decreased 22 percent over the past five years, according to Nielsen BookScan.

If your Barnes & Noble closed, would you miss it? How can bookstores compete more effectively in this electronic age? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Newsletter & Alerts

Get the best stories each day and important breaking news

Subscribe

Not from Redmond Patch? Find your Local Patch »

Loading comments ...
Note Article
Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Author Kathleen Alcalá
John Gustaveson May 20, 2013 at 11:58 pm
RASP is a wonderful group of writers from all walks of Redmond life. They hold an open mic on theRead More last Friday of every month at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center. Not only do they have featured readers like Kathleen, but the open mic portion encourages anyone from the community to read their work. It's regularly quite good. All those with a hunger to get their work out in the world should attend.
Caroline Chapman May 15, 2013 at 09:40 am
Looks like the video didn't upload! Here's the link: http://youtu.be/eXxaNgTAk0s