After standing for over 15 years in the Bay Plaza shopping center, Barnes & Noble has announced on October 18th that it has finally decided to close its doors for good, sparking outrage throughout the Bronx. The closure means that a borough with nearly 1.5 million residents will be left without a single general-interest bookstore. Unfortunately, Bronx residents know the pain of being neglected and overlooked. “I think it’s a slap in the face to the community,” says Taina Cambrelen, a student at Lehman College. “To take out our only book store and replace it with a store that people can’t even afford in an area that’s surrounded by projects and low-income families? This just screams gentrification.”

Two years ago, when the bookstore was threatened with closure, local residents rallied to save it. Lehman graduate Amelia Zaino, 26, started an online petition and gained over 2,500 signatures in just a few days. Zaino explained to the New York Daily News, “It was an insult to me as a Bronxite. They were taking my bookstore, and it’s not just mine; the community loves this place.”

At that time, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. managed to negotiate an extended two-year lease with Prestige Properties, the landlord of Bay Plaza, while preventing a rent increase. Diaz reasoned that securing the lease would save at least 50 jobs in a borough where unemployment is high and nearly 30% of the population lives below the poverty line.

However, Prestige Properties recently announced that the beloved bookstore chain, which contains a Starbucks, lounge area, and junior area for younger readers, will not be offered a lease renewal after that current lease expires at the end of this year. Instead, a Sak’s Off 5th store will replace the bookstore, and pay a higher price for the space. This means that Bronx residents will no longer have a gathering place to enjoy a coffee and a book, or simply find solace in the aisles.

However, not all hope is lost. Noëlle Santos, a twenty-nine-year old H.R. director and Bronx native, has been attempting to open a general bookstore/wine bar of her own, called The Lit Bar. The theme of the bookstore will be “Bronx-related,” with “non-bookstore merchandise that includes reading and wine-related items, as well as anything appealing to women who enjoy the arts,” she stated in a Bookweb interview. Santos was inspired to open her bookstore after signing the petition to keep the Bay Plaza Barnes & Noble open back in 2014, and hopes to get rid of the negative stereotype that seems to project that Bronx residents do not care for literature. “I want to send the message that the Bronx is not burning anymore,” she said. “The Bronx is burning with a desire to read.”

*The opinions and ideas expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the opinions of The Bronx Brand*

Sydney is from Bedford Park, in the northwest section of the Bronx. She’s lived in the Bronx all her life, and is inspired by the strength of the people of the Bronx. She says, “If you can make it from the Bronx, you can make it anywhere.” She believes the Bronx has a charm that can’t be found anywhere else. She wouldn’t trade it for anything growing up here because it’s shaped her into the fighter she is today. You can follow her on Twitter: @sydney_joy and tumblr: http://sydneyj0y.tumblr.com/