Download - Barnes and Noble East Lansing Closure
Barnes and Noble East Lansing Closure
Aaron Jordan and Marissa Russo
Like many bookstores across the nation, the East Lansing
Barnes and Noble closed, leaving a large building
vacant on Grand River Ave.
MSU freshman Kellie Riter said she misses the convenience of the store, and says she has to now turn elsewhere to buy her
books.“If I want to read a new best
seller, I’m going to be forced into the eReader phenomenon,
because my other option has been taken away,” said Riter, a
journalism major. “I’ve been doing most of my purchases
online, or at Barnes and Noble in Battle Creek when I visit home.”
Schuler’s Books & Music’s Okemos location despite it being less convenient for students has received a
number of former Barnes and Noble customers.
According to General Manager Jeff Lapinski,
eReaders have not truly hurt their business, despite their
popularity. “We’ve seen a decrease in
genre fiction and mass markets, but otherwise, we’re not effected,” Lapinski said. “We’re actually looking into getting in the eBook market
ourselves.”
Despite the growing popularity, many, like MSU
freshman Erin Ehlke, are not sold on them. Ehlke said she was disappointed Barnes and Noble closed soon after she moved to East Lansing. She said the Borders near her
home in Waterford, MI, closed in the summer of 2011.
“I just like real books,” Ehlke said. “I feel bad. We’re killing
the book industry.”