Do you still go to the Barnes & Noble bookstores on the Eastside? 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 several Barnes & Noble stores, including one in Issaquah, two in Bellevue – one downtown and one at Crossroads -- and in Woodinville, Alderwood Mall and Northgate.
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.
On the Eastside, residents lamented last year's closings of Borders bookstores, including at Redmond Town Center.
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Would you miss the Eastside Barnes and Nobles? How can bookstores compete in this electronic age? Please let us know in the comments box below.
