Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
The fifth largest county in the state of Georgia will no longer have a major bookseller after May 7. The only Barnes & Noble franchise in Clayton County is scheduled to close in May and with it the only opportunity for locals to browse a large bookstore on weekends or read and study quietly in the attached Starbucks during the week.
Clayton County has just under 300,000 residents, according to the U.S. Census and with no major bookseller within the county boundaries after Store #2865 on Mount Zion Rd. in Morrow closes, residents will have to drive into Atlanta, more specifically, to Buckhead, to shop at a Barnes & Noble. The Morrow store, which is 23,000-square-feet and is on a two-acre lot, had been in business for nearly 30 years. The closest major bookseller will be the Books-A-Million franchise on Jonesboro Rd. in McDonough, which is 15 miles away.
The letter on the door of Store #2865 began with:
Dear Barnes & Noble Customers, It is with great sadness that we announce the closure of this bookstore as the landlord has chosen not to renew our lease.
The letter also read in part:
It has been our honor and privilege to be your bookseller here in Southlake for the last 27 years.
The closure of Barnes & Noble isn’t all bad news. Clayton County’s other bookstore, Nubian Books, will reap the benefit of the closure, says its owner.
“It’s good for me,” said Marcus Williams, owner and operator of Nubian Books, the only Black-owned bookstore in Clayton County.
On a warm spring Saturday afternoon Nubian Books was busy with customers buying books and fraternity and sorority merchandise. The store is one of the few places on the Southside to be able to buy either product. It is the only place where Black authors can hold book signings, which often takes place outside of Nubian Books. A lack of an available Barnes & Nobles or franchise bookseller will mean more business for this small business.
“It means more customers won’t have any place to buy books, but we’re open,” Williams said. Nubian Books has been serving the community since 1999.
In an email to The Atlanta Voice, City of Morrow City Manager Jeff Baker said the city is “actively engaged in finding a suitable location for Barnes & Noble to relocate”.
“We aim to ensure this valuable community resource continues to thrive and serve our residents,” Baker said in the email. “The mayor and council are committed to supporting local businesses and maintaining our city’s vibrant character.”