Powell's Bookstores, Chicago, which specializes in used, rare and discounted books, will close its location at 2850 N. Lincoln Ave. by the end of June, DNAInfo reported. The stores in Hyde Park and University Village will remain open. Owners Brad Jonas and Michael Powell put the building on the market about four years ago. (Powell's Books in Portland, Ore., is a separate business.)
"It's a great building," Jonas said. "It's a great neighborhood. But the retail opportunities for that space... it's not what we were all hoping for."
The store opened on Lincoln in the 1980s, and within six months a Barnes & Noble and a Borders both opened nearby, "taking some of the wind out of our sails," Jonas said. After both chain stores eventually closed, the number of people walking into Powell's never bounced back, Jonas said, adding: "It's just a tough time for books right now. Like everybody else, we're trying to figure out what the future will bring."
