Birth of a book desert: Only Barnes & Noble in Clayton County is now closed

MORROW, GA. – The customer service desk and the Starbucks counter doubled as registers to accommodate for the amount of people buying books Tuesday night. The only major bookseller in Clayton County  was closing in just over an hour and the aisles were full of shoppers taking advantage of the extreme discounts. 

The parking lot of the Barnes & Noble was full, so arriving customers had to park in the adjacent parking lot. Christmas ornaments were on sale in the store for 50% off and all books were 40% off. The death of a bookstore and the birth of a book desert was in full effect.

The fifth largest county in the state of Georgia will no longer have a major bookseller. The only Barnes & Noble franchise in Clayton County closed on Tuesday, May 7 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 and on weekends.

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 to the south or the Barnes & Noble location at Georgia Tech on 5th Street in Atlanta or on Peachtree Rd. in Buckhead.

A family of four stopped in front of the store to take a selfie, while an elderly woman checked the store hours again. The time was 6:41 p.m. and the flow of traffic into the store hadn’t slowed for hours.  

A letter on the entrance and at the information counter inside 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 that same day of the closure, Nubian Books, the only Black-owned bookstore in Clayton County, 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 and is located just a few blocks from the Barnes & Noble on Southlake Pkwy. 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.

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.”

What’s Next: A number of sources on staff at the Barnes & Noble location told The Atlanta Voice the company is looking for a suitable location in Clayton County to rent and re-open the store in. 

Emails to the owner of the property have not been returned.