Turtle Creek Books in downtown Beloit, Wisc., will be closing its bricks-and-mortar location in order to move its offerings online. The Daily News reported that "the space has been occupied by Barnes & Noble College, which is currently leased to Beloit College." The college is contracting with an exclusively online bookseller to provide textbooks for students and faculty.
In a statement, Beloit College said that when it "first moved its bookstore downtown in 2000, it was part of an effort to rejuvenate downtown Beloit. The work of the whole community has brought this to fruition. Downtown Beloit has never been stronger, which makes now the perfect time to see this space repurposed into something that will further benefit the entire community. This decision comes after many years of consideration and evaluating many different options for our bookstore. We are thankful for our 20-year partnership with Barnes & Noble College. And per the contract, Barnes & Noble was given a one-year advance notice about the cancellation."
Downtown Beloit Association executive director Shauna El Amin said the DBA "looks forward to working with the property owner to promote the space for future business ventures. Downtown Beloit has few vacancies and we are confident this space can attract a unique concept that will fit in well with the character of the area."