Downtown Bookstore Will Shut Down Today

A chain bookstore in Downtown Berkeley is closing today after the company decided to consolidate its East Bay locations.

The Barnes & Noble branch on Shattuck Avenue is closing after Barnes & Noble, Inc. decided not to renew the expired lease, said company spokesperson Lenore Feder in an e-mail.

She said there are other branches within five miles of the Berkeley location, including in Emeryville and El Cerrito, that can serve the community.

“Book stores (are) a big part of the community. I’m really sad (the store) has to go,” said Katherine Scherbel, marketing manager of the Downtown Berkeley Association.

Michael Caplan, the city’s economic development manager, said closing down the Berkeley branch is “a corporate decision to consolidate operations in larger retail stores.”

Another reason the Berkeley branch is closing is because the store has an older format that does not include a cafe and a news stand, Feder said. Caplan said the company could have obtained the permits to make these changes, but the lack of space available may have been a deterrent to the company’s decision to renew the lease.

Bookstores are facing more widespread problems, Scherbel said, citing Cody’s Books, which closed its branch on Telegraph Avenue last July.

Bookstores have faced a general decrease in book sales because of the expansion of online markets, she said.

“It’s cheaper buying online and purchasing used books. It’s practical,” said Michelle Flores, a rising senior at UC Berkeley who was shopping at Barnes & Noble yesterday.

Scherbel said she thought the closure of Barnes & Noble may have also been prompted by recurring petty theft issues the store faced.

But Berkeley police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss said there have been approximately two reports of shoplifting per month at the Berkeley Barnes & Noble over the last two years.

“They have historically had theft over the years but not unlike other big businesses in the area,” she said.

The property is now available for rent, Caplan said, and is a good location due to the on-site parking.

Some Berkeley residents expressed general surprise at the store’s closure.

“I’m surprised and disappointed,” said Berkeley resident Rick Rombach. “(Buying books) online is nice, but here you can actually sit down and read.”

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