Lincoln Center Barnes & Noble To Close

NEW YORK — Shoppers near New York City's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts will have to look harder for books to buy: Barnes & Noble is closing its 60,000-square-foot Lincoln Triangle Store.

The superstore chain said in a statement Monday the branch will close at the end of January. It cites higher rent for the decision.

Barnes & Noble Inc. opened the store in 1995. It says it will search for a new location on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

Barnes & Noble spokeswoman Mary Ellen Keating said sales were not a factor in the closing of the store, located in a busy and prosperous neighborhood. The chain has faced increasing competition in recent years from price clubs and Internet retailers.

The company bills itself as the world's largest bookseller.

Comments

[AlexNYC]

09:53 AM on 09/01/2010

Barnes & Nobles is responsible for most of the independent book closings in Manhattan, some that have been around for decades. Few were able to compete with their near wholesale prices. losing customers to the big box store. I still frequent the few that remain, and only go to B&N or Borders when I'm buying books as gifts. The fact that Barnes & Nobles is suffering a similar fate due to online stores and visitors that browse and read in the store but do not buy is ironic.

[Fritziscool]

09:35 AM on 09/01/2010

There was a great Tower records accross from the Julliard school that was well loved, that too closed a few years ago.

I too miss the small independent bookstores that were still around in the early eighties and the Barnes and Noble annex that was on 18th street and fifth(of course, of course).

The real problem with NYC is that there is no commercial rent control:when a store starts to make money the landlord becomes your partner and you have to go out of business.

I never understood Manhattan landlords- Wouldn't you rather have a good tenant at a reasonable rate, than having to constantly list and turn over the same location. How many Thai restaurants can you have in the city.

[TheGuardrail]

12:38 AM on 09/01/2010

I spent nearly 13 years in the retail sector working for high volume retailers. A fair share of our NYC stores closed because they ran in the red. One example is the Gap who closed about half of their NYC stores over the past 5 years. If you think apartment rents are bad then you are in for a shock at what is charged for retail space in a visible location. This is another sad story for NYC. My guess is that they will convert it into another bank which seem to litter our city.

[Uproar]

10:33 AM on 09/01/2010

Or a condo building.

[Occam123]

09:18 PM on 08/31/2010

Book store closes, a mosque opens. Now that's progress.( sarcasm on).

[raiheen]

07:15 PM on 08/31/2010

First Astor now Lincoln Center, so not fair, this is like the best place to buy, browse and look at books. The best speakers, I am declaring that the mallafacation of NYC is great and bad, but Barnes and Noble, this place helped me get my degree with all the books I read at the Star-bucks tables on the top floor

[Katbird]

10:55 PM on 08/31/2010

Don't forget about the Sixth Ave. Chelsea store. Half of that location is still empty. (Trader Joe's is now in the southern half.) Too bad about Lincoln Center. They had a lot of theater & show biz related books and events.

[StaceyJaney]

07:45 AM on 08/31/2010

I've been there a few times, parking isn't too bad either but I hated the layout for some reason.

[jonnyquest]

12:32 AM on 08/31/2010

Good riddance! As a small business owner i've seen how Barnes & Noble put indy book stores out of business. This city was ruined when corporate stores like this took over, i can only hope our city returns to it's former glory as a city for the average citizen tho i doubt it'll happen under the current bozo in charge.

[born 2b different]

08:35 AM on 08/31/2010

Barnes and Nobles did not put any indy bookstores out of business. The demise of the independents was caused by their customers leaving them. If these independent bookstores were so great, why did their customers abandon them?

[jonnyquest]

10:48 AM on 08/31/2010

When Barnes & Noble undercut the indy stores and sold their books for a few dollars above cost how can any small business compete, would you rather pay $24.99 for a book or $14.99? That's how the stores lost their customers.
I also don't like the fact that when i go into a Barnes & Noble, i have to walk over self absorbed people who are laying on the floor reading while i'm searching for a book and they won't move or how about when people take these books into the cafe, read the books, stain them with pound cake, coffee etc and i have to return the book a few days later.
Amazon is wiping them off the map as they've done to lots of other business's.
Do you think that a Barnes and Nobles employee can help you in finding something on the floor as well as a small book shop employee? Not in my many experiences
in this city. I might as well be in a Bed, Bath & Beyond.

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

11:24 PM on 08/30/2010

The rent issues was a deciding factor in the closing of both the Chelsea and Astor Place stores as well.

[jonnyquest]

10:49 AM on 08/31/2010

And they helped to drive them up with other big corporate business's.

[Faraja]

09:26 PM on 08/30/2010

It seems like B&N is going out of business. Their books are too expensive. Amazon rocks!

[VanTroi]

08:55 PM on 08/31/2010

where does it say they are going out of business?

[Faraja]

08:19 AM on 09/01/2010

Barnes & Noble shares soar on sale plans

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100804/bs_nm/us_barnesandnoble

[Tlanice]

07:02 PM on 08/30/2010

WOW really? I definitely have to get back there before then. I think we take our favorite places for granted sometimes. I wonder what will be put in its place.

[rikster]

06:51 PM on 08/30/2010

how often I think about the original Barnes & Noble on 5th Ave. & 17th Street...great place....these mall stores are not even close...!

[CateManhattan]

05:11 AM on 09/01/2010

The REAL Barnes & Noble!