Barnes & Noble Is Closing Its Lower Fifth Avenue Store

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Following the closure of their Sixth Avenue store this time last year, Barnes & Noble announced yesterday that its location at 105 Fifth Avenue will be shut down as well, according to Crain's New York. The company's first college bookstore, on the corner of 18th Street, mainly sold textbooks and trade volumes.

"Our 18th Street store served college students at a time when not many colleges had bookstores on campus," a Barnes & Noble spokeswoman told the paper. "Today, students purchase their books on campus, and when books are unavailable, students buy them from online booksellers, including bn.com."

Because of this closure, Barnes & Noble will be laying off 56 employees by the end of the month. The chain still has six sizable locations in the city, including the nearby Union Square flagship.

But don't count on them being around forever—the company has been closing 15 to 20 stores a year due to lower profits, and Crain's noted "that tenants are always eying Barnes & Noble spaces, waiting for the chain to vacate."
· Barnes & Noble Closes the Book on Fifth Ave. Store [Crain's]
· Barnes & Noble Could Close More New York City Stores [Racked NY]
· RIP: Barnes & Noble on Sixth Avenue Has "Closed Forever" [Racked NY]