Latest news with #HalfPriceBooks
Miami Herald
08-07-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Iconic book seller closing after successful 20-year run
We're in an age when retail closures really shouldn't surprise anyone. The reality is that brick-and-mortar has faced its share of challenges in recent years. And many of the issues that were a problem five or six years ago continue to be problems today. Related: Practical fashion retail chain closing all stores unexpectedly For one thing, it's gotten expensive to operate a physical store. With rents skyrocketing and overhead costs increasing, many retailers are finding it difficult to justify the expense of staying in business. There's also a world of competition for retailers to deal with, from online giants like Amazon to big-box stores like Target and Walmart. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter The pandemic caused a shift in the way a lot of people shop. Now, many consumers are inclined to go online and make purchases rather than drive to a store, spend time browsing the aisles, and potentially pay more in the process. Given these circumstances, it hasn't been shocking to see a number of major players in the retail place file for bankruptcy or close their doors permanently over the past few years. And the worst of it may not even be over. Image source: Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images If there's one specific type of retailer that's really struggling to maintain its physical store footprint today, it's book sellers. Although Amazon has clearly evolved from its early book-centric days, it's long been a huge source of competition for bookstores. And the popularity of e-readers has only made things worse for brick-and-mortar shops. Related: Popular fashion chain store closure jeopardizes dying mall Granted, there are still purists out there who prefer to sit and hold an actual book rather than get their fiction fix on screen. But at a time when people aren't reading as much as they used to and it's easy enough to download books on the cheap, bookstores are having a hard time staying afloat. Plus, let's not forget that reading enthusiasts have plenty of options for getting their hands on books without having to spend a dime. There's the library, for one thing. But also, programs like Kindle Unlimited give e-book readers access to thousands of titles at no cost other than the actual subscription. And even for those who don't enjoy reading on a screen, it's often hard to justify the cost of a bookstore purchase when Amazon has the same title for several dollars less - and can ship it out in a couple of days. Half Price Books has long been a fixture in downtown Berkeley. Unfortunately, after 20 successful years, the store is closing down in that location. Public Relations Manager Emily Bruce said the store will remain open until Nov. 30 and cited a lease-related challenge as the driver of the closure. Related: Fashion giant files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy to liquidate "We wish we could stay, but we have been unable to come to a lease agreement with our landlord," Bruce said. Not only has Half Price Books long been a haven for Berkeley book lovers, but it's also been a great place to sell used books and pocket some cash. The store, which encompasses 8,000 square feet, has long been home to everything from newly released titles to vintage editions. Half Price Books was founded in 1972 and started out of a local laundromat. The chain has since grown to 120 locations across 19 states. Since the Berkeley closure is clearly lease-related, fans can rest assured that remaining Half Price Books locations are not expected to close up shop at this time. But given the way book sellers have been struggling, it's not a given that more closures won't creep up. More retail: Walmart CEO sounds alarm on a big problem for customersTarget makes a change that might scare Walmart, CostcoTop investor takes firm stance on troubled retail brandWalmart and Costco making major change affecting all customers Meanwhile, fans of the Half Price Books location in Berkeley were quick to express their disappointment over the closure. "I am very upset," said Roshni Singh, a grad student at UC Berkeley. Samuel Lam, who works nearby, will also miss visiting the giant store. "You just can't browse the same way online," he said. Related: Costco has a massive labor problem nobody is talking about The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Axios
19-03-2025
- Axios
What I learned on a long walk up Broadway
Ahead of Síclovía's return to Broadway for the first time in six years, I decided to get a true pedestrian view by taking a four-mile walk along the street. Why it matters: The Broadway corridor north of downtown is in flux. It's home to longtime family-style restaurants and posh new eateries, showcasing San Antonio's past, present and future. There's no better way to take that all in than on foot. Catch up quick: Síclovía closes streets to cars and opens them to walkers and bikers. On Sunday, it will stretch from Parland Place to McCullough Avenue downtown. How it works: I started my journey by The Newstand coffee shop at Josephine Street, walked two miles up to Hildebrand Avenue and then turned around. Zoom in: City leaders have long hoped to make Broadway into San Antonio's great urban corridor. Whether or not it already is depends on who you ask. The big picture: The corridor has long been a cultural hub. Brackenridge Park, the Witte Museum, the DoSeum and the San Antonio Botanical Garden are on or nearby Broadway. It's also lined with businesses of all types — local delis, an antique shop, a laundromat, a dollar store, bars, a barbershop. What they're saying:"It's an amazing north-south thoroughfare that was important in the early history of the city," local historian Maria Watson Pfeiffer tells Axios. Early San Antonians traveled along Broadway because of the Alamo acequia, the Spanish water system near Brackenridge Park. "Since it more or less parallels the river, it's always been a spine in that way." Context: San Antonio voters in 2017 approved bond funding for Broadway improvements aimed at making the street more pedestrian friendly. Officials planned to reduce it by one lane in each direction, add bike lanes and widen sidewalks. But the Texas Transportation Commission halted those plans when it reclaimed ownership of Broadway in January 2022 to prevent the city from reducing the number of lanes. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has since repaved the road and made updates without removing lanes, adding bike lanes or widening sidewalks. What I found: Sidewalks are better in some places than others, but they're largely intact. The main difficulty is crossing the street to access a business on the other side, since crosswalks are spaced out and the street is so wide. I witnessed a couple people making a run for it. I passed a few bikers who rode on sidewalks rather than the narrow car lanes. State of play: Broadway businesses are in a constant state of change. Jim's Restaurant, a local favorite, shut down last year after 53 years. A Houston restaurant group is taking over the space. Half Price Books and the Antiquarian Book Mart next door closed in May after a developer purchased the site. Half Price Books had been there 45 years. The Ranch Motel, a boutique lodging and leisure club, opened in late 2023. Chains P. Terry's and Postino both opened last year, as did La Panadería, a local chain.
