Barnes & Noble Moving Near Book Passage

For the last few weeks, the rumor had been circulating among concerned Corte Madera residents and even in local media: Barnes & Noble was planning to move from its present location in nearby Greenbrae, California, to a much larger and more convenient space very close to the independent Book Passage Corte Madera. The rumor even spurred a number of concerned citizens to launch a grassroots movement to protest the potential move in support of their local bookstore.

Now it turns out the rumor is true: Judy Peterson, store manager of the Greenbrae Barnes & Noble, confirmed to BTW that the 10-year-old Greenbrae Barnes & Noble store would be relocating to the Corte Madera Town Center, in an approximately 27,000-square-foot space, about a block away from Book Passage.

Elaine Petrocelli, co-owner of the 29-year-old Book Passage, told BTW that the news was "definitely unfortunate." And while Petrocelli said that she "can't stop Barnes and Noble from doing [what it wants]," she also vowed to "fight as hard as anyone can" to beat the store on a competitive level.

Barnes & Noble will be taking over a spot that was vacated by Marshalls, a department store that had been a Town Center tenant for the past 20 years, plus another space in the Town Center. When Marshalls' lease was not renewed this past fall, questions arose over which business or businesses would take over the spot.

Petrocelli said that she had looked at the location and even had discussions with the Town Center management about the possibility of Book Passage moving to the shopping center. However, she said negotiations proved difficult and did not pan out.

Nonetheless, Petrocelli has many Corte Madera residents in her corner. When the rumors about Barnes & Noble's impending move intensified over the past few weeks, a group of residents started a grassroots movement, "The Corte Madera Citizens Concerned About Independent Bookstores (CCSIB)." The CCSIB immediately launched a website providing other residents with details of the situation, the names and addresses of key Town Center and Barnes & Noble management, among other details.

"It delights me that residents care this much," Petrocelli said. "I have an amazing community. I think we bring them something unique. I think we really are the community center for our town. We're the place people come to and I'm hoping it will continue. I certainly plan to fight for it to continue." --David Grogan