The Longwood University Barnes and Noble bookstore will be moving to the corner of Main St. and Third St. in downtown Farmville in summer 2017.
The space will host a larger square footage than the previous location at Midtown Landings, according to Louise Waller, executive director of campus planning and construction.
The current bookstore is home to Starbucks, which will move into the new space in addition to the bookstore, according to Farmville’s website.
“The movement itself is not a significant cost, we (Longwood Real Estate Foundation) are going to be leasing the space from Walk2Campus (Properties), we have been able to negotiate a very fair and reasonable price for the rent on the property,” said Waller.
The bookstore will occupy the first floor of the building while Walk2Campus Properties will own the entire building including the undeveloped higher levels, according to Farmville’s website.
The decision to relocate the bookstore came about last year with the hopes of integrating the Farmville community with the Longwood University students.
“It has a tremendous amount of visibility,” added Waller.
Relocating the bookstore is apart of the Master Plan with one goal of the plan to “increase foot traffic and integration with the downtown Farmville area”, according to Waller.
“Obviously everyone will want to minimize downtime,” said Waller in regard to moving the bookstore and its merchandise from the old location to the new in the upcoming summer. Waller added that the logistics of the move have not been worked out yet as for the timeframe of closing the current bookstore and opening the new location.
“I think this is a wonderful opportunity for students; the bookstore will be increasing its offering with square footage, they (students) will have the opportunity to shop in a bookstore environment,” added Waller.
Waller assured that the new location is only feet away from the original location, still keeping it accessible to students to walk from campus.
“The bookstore should not be moved so far away, while it would be help the community and Longwood become closer, it is a hassle for all of the students because of the distance,” said Colton Thames, a junior nursing major.
“I know the community is very excited about this and I think this is a very wonderful opportunity for our students and our community and it plays right in line with the goals that our president (W. Taylor Reveley IV) has laid out for the physical planning and developments of our university,”
Waller felt the location is going to be great for retail in regard to price and additional square footage that the new space has to offer.
English Construction will be the contractor for the project, according to Farmville’s website.
Longwood University Barnes and Noble bookstore was unavailable for comment.
