LAKEVIEW — Powell's Book Store is closing its Lincoln Avenue location after years of dwindling sales pushed the building's owner to sell the property.
The longtime used bookstore, 2850 N. Lincoln Ave., will close by the end of June, co-owner Brad Jonas said. Stores in Hyde Park, 1501 E. 57th St., and University Village, 1218 S. Halsted St., will stay open.
Jonas and co-owner Michael Powell, who own the building and Powell's books in Portland, Ore., put the Lincoln Avenue property on the market about four years ago.
"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."
Serena Dai chats with DNAinfo Radio about why Powell's had to shut down their Lakeview location:
It's been up and down for Powell through the years. The store opened on Lincoln in the '80s, and within six months a Barnes and Noble and a Borders both opened nearby, "taking some of the wind out of our sails," Jonas said.
Since then, both megastores have shuttered. But the number of people walking into Powell's never bounced back, he said.
"It's just a tough time for books right now," Jonas said.
Despite the end of the Lakeview store, Jonas plans to keep the other two locations around as long as possible.
"Like everybody else, we're trying to figure out what the future will bring," he said.
All books at the Lincoln Avenue location will be 50 percent off until the store closes.
