 |
|
| The current shared store for King's College and Wilkes University. | |
After 15 years of sharing a college bookstore in downtown Wilkes-Barre, Pa., King's College and Wilkes University will both open their own bookstores on their respective campuses, the Times Leader reported. The shared bookstore was a joint operation involving Barnes & Noble, and the colleges will start operating their own stores when that deal expires in the fall.
The King's College store will open in August ahead of the fall semester and reside in a location that previously housed a restaurant. eCampus will provide books and materials as well as management for the store. The college stated that its decision to return its bookstore to the campus was influenced by changing business models, students' increased preference for online delivery of educational materials and the desire to have an easily accessible retail space on campus.
The Wilkes University store, meanwhile, will be located on the first floor of the Henry Student Center and will continue the university's relationship with B&N for at least another five years. Work on the new bookstore will begin this spring and should be completed in time for the fall semester. The university began looking into the possibility of having its bookstore on campus nearly three years ago.
George Albert, the owner of the shopping center in which the shared store resides, told Citizens Voice that B&N has not inquired about extending the lease that ends in August.