As of December 2021, it has now been over five years since The Bronx’s only general-interest bookstore, Barnes & Noble’s Co-Op-City branch, closed its doors. After grassroots efforts led by concerned Bronxites aiming to keep the store open garnered over 3,000 supporters, Bronx politicians and corporate officials at Barnes & Noble promised to reopen the store within 36 months of its closure. However, after more than half of a decade of The Bronx’s 1.4 million residents still not seeing the store reopen, it doesn’t seem that those promises will be honored without a renewed push from the community. 

     The Bronx has the lowest literacy rate of the five boroughs, with nearly 70 percent of third grade students in the South Bronx reading below their grade level. Many talented and legendary writers lived in and found their inspiration here in The Bronx: Edgar Allan Poe, James Baldwin, and Stan Lee just to name a few. The lack of an accessible place for Bronx residents to acquire a wide range of novels, textbooks, test prep guides, and children’s books can make it more difficult for the community to uplift and inspire the next generation of children to reach such heights. 

      Every borough besides The Bronx has at least one Barnes & Noble branch, with Manhattan being home to four that are currently open. There are even multiple branches in Westchester County that are equally, if not more, inconvenient for Bronx residents to commute to. Additionally, with all of the new luxury stores and fast-food restaurants constantly opening up in our borough, why not add a place that will enrich and educate the community while also bringing in dozens of jobs for our youth? 

       The love that The Bronx has for our Barnes & Noble has never gone away, and this is our time to use that passion for real change. Please sign and join me in demanding that Barnes & Noble reopen its previous location and bring back our only bookstore.