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Barnes & Noble To Close More Stores: Would You Miss The One in Woodinville?

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

Do you still shop at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Woodinville?

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 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 the Woodinville 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.

John Snow January 29, 2013 at 02:16 pm
We'd miss it. We shop there. We used to shop at the Borders in Redmond, too.
Kristin Gulledge January 29, 2013 at 03:56 pm
Just shopped there last night. Always go in for a specific item and typically find one other thing. It's great to browse, relax, meet up with friends.
webbish6 January 29, 2013 at 08:14 pm
Definitely would miss the Woodinville Barnes and Nobles - I think it's the nicest on the East side.
db January 29, 2013 at 09:21 pm
There are so many book stores that have already closed. It would be a shame if B&N closed, too.
Bruce Sellers 206-919-9094 January 30, 2013 at 02:48 pm
I bring my grandsons there all the time. They love to browse, sit down and read for a while and check out the games. It's very kid friendly.
I like the magazine selection and the lattes of course. Very knowledgeable staff at info desk. The kids and I would miss it big time. I'm sad thinking about it.
bearfctry January 30, 2013 at 03:00 pm
I would definitely miss that store. The problem I see is that the online price is cheaper. I understand the reason is because there is retail space that must be paid for. But if they want to keep their customers, they should honor the online price in the stores.
Susan Milke January 30, 2013 at 03:51 pm
Yes I would miss it. Did some Christmas shopping there this past year. Nice to have a bookstore close. There really isn't another one in the area.
Sharon Peterson January 30, 2013 at 08:37 pm
YES!! We need upscale stores like B&N. I've had meetings in their coffee shop and always check there first if I need a book at full price. I love this store and the location!
Peter Tountas January 30, 2013 at 09:53 pm
If we lost Barnes and Noble it would be more than losing a great book store. It is a great place to have coffee, buy a great book, and enjoy the quiet surroundings. I have an iPad 2, and of course books can be downloaded, but it will never, never take the place of Barnes and Noble. There is something about having a book in your hand that you can never have from a Retina display.

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Margaret Coombs Hughes June 18, 2013 at 12:08 pm
Nicely written Angela! Nicely written.
Margaret Coombs Hughes June 18, 2013 at 12:16 pm
Hello Mr. Francois and NSD School Board, I have been keeping an open mind about the choice ofRead More Wednesday as the early release day. I kept an open mind, but not so open that my brains fell out. I voted for Friday for a reason. Not to take my child out of school early or in hopes that teachers would see it as a day off, but because it made the most sense for my family. Wednesday wasn't a horrible day and was my 2nd choice. Personally, now, after reviewing others input, your input and doing some thinking on my own, I believe you made the wrong choice. Your parents have brains, we are educated and we gave you our opinion and trusted that you would actually use the poll data wisely. You failed us, therefore you failed our children. It is okay so say you made a mistake, that is what we teach our children. Please tell your parents you made a mistake and make Friday early release day for the new school year. Positively hopeful! Margaret Hughes Woodinville, WA
Atammayatarama Buddhist Monastery June 17, 2013 at 01:15 pm
Please note this is not a religious activity. YOUR GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO OBSERVE THOUGHTS, FEELINGS,Read More SENSATIONS, AND EMOTIONS IN SILENT MEDITATION, AND WITH MINDFULNESS THROUGH-OUT THE DAY.
auran June 13, 2013 at 09:14 am
We did not see the cougar recently, but interestingly saw one in the same location several monthsRead More ago.
Gail June 12, 2013 at 06:15 pm
No-brainer, switch to someone else. And tell everyone else to do so too. Like you already are here.
DebbieKat June 12, 2013 at 07:10 pm
I've been using BECU for 13 years and they are awesome. I also have an account with Alaska FederalRead More Credit Union. They're decent too.
Photo credit:  Scott Garside
Torrey June 10, 2013 at 07:49 am
We saw one land in Wilmot Gateway Park on Saturday morning.
Lisa Baumann (Editor) June 10, 2013 at 08:52 am
Cool Torrey. Thanks for sharing!
Don Means June 10, 2013 at 03:01 pm
I have lived in Woodinville for over18 years. For around 5 years after we moved there on any warmRead More summer night you could look up and see at least 3 balloons and many times 4,5,6 or 7 of them but that all stopped abruptly one year. The explanation we got was that the balloonist were following the French historical practice of awarding a bottle of champagne to any land owner who's land they happened to land on. Well, the state couldn't allow that since the balloonist had no liquor license. Don't you just love government?