The East Lansing branch of Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 333 E. Grand River Ave., now is officially closed, leaving behind an open space among the city’s downtown retailers.
The store’s last day of business was Dec. 31. A store manager declined to comment on the closing just a few hours before the store closed.
Company officials previously had announced the store’s closure in September because of the expiration of the company’s lease on the property. The property is owned by City Center Partners 2 LLC. The property’s managing partner is The Christman Company.
Barnes & Noble has spent 10 years at the site, which formerly was occupied by Jacobson’s Department Store.
Jim Cash, chief operating officer of The Christman Company, said his office had discussed various lease arrangements for several years with Barnes & Noble, but the two sides ultimately were unable to come to an agreement on the terms of the lease.
Barnes & Noble has another location in the area, at the Lansing Mall, 5132 W. Saginaw Highway. A manager at the Lansing location said he could not comment on whether any employees from the East Lansing store would transfer to the Lansing location.
Check next week’s print edition of The State News for an update on this story.
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