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CEO Denies Blame in Bookstore Closure Saga
22 Dec, 2025
Summary
- Mom-and-pop bookstore cites 30% sales drop after chain opened.
- CEO claims rival store is a 'café with limited books'.
- Indie store to close Jan 2026 after nearly a decade.
A Chicago independent bookstore, Volumes Bookcafe, is set to close at the end of January 2026, after nearly a decade in operation. Owners state a 30% drop in sales began after a Barnes & Noble opened nearby in October 2024. This mirrors a plot similar to the film 'You've Got Mail,' where a small business struggles against a larger chain.
Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt has responded to the accusations, emailing that Volumes Bookcafe is "unlikely to be the cause" of the store's difficulties. He described the independent shop as a "café with a very limited selection of books," not a "full-fledged bookstore." Daunt further argued that his company's new store does not directly impact independent booksellers.
Despite Daunt's statements, supporters of Volumes Bookcafe have defended it as a legitimate independent bookstore that also hosts literary events and serves as a community hub. The owners have reported sales plummeting from highs of 100 books a day to as few as a dozen on some days, leading to the difficult decision to cease operations.
