The Barnes & Noble On Route 9 In Howell Is Closing

As one major retail opening was just announced on Route 9 in Howell, it becomes balanced out by a major retail closing coming right next door.

Last week, we told you about the grand opening of Home Goods in the Howell Commons shopping center, but today we learned about the impending closure of Barnes & Noble in the adjacent Lanes Mill Marketplace shopping center.

Our sister station 94.3 The Point reports that the bookseller has decided not to renew the location's lease when it runs out.

No reason for the decision has been given officially, but you have to believe at least part of the call is thanks to the rising popularity of e-book readers like Amazon's Kindle, B&N's own Nook, and reading apps on tablets like the iPad leading to fewer people buying physical books and magazines at stores like Barnes & Noble.

No timeline for the closure has been announced, but my colleague Liz Jeressi points out that the lease on the building runs to the end of this year.

More from WOBM: