Barnes & Noble could change mall mentality

Some people carry the notion that shopping malls are rife with giddy teen-agers, crowded shops and irrelevant stores.

So what do those people do? Avoid the mall at all costs.

But when Barnes & Noble opens its new bookstore at Westfield West Park later this year, it could do more than increase the number of mall-goers -- it may go a long way toward changing how some shoppers view the Cape Girardeau retail center.

"Some of my colleagues think the mall's beneath them," said Jeremy Walling, a political science teacher at Southeast Missouri State University. "It seems like maybe a lot of people do."

But Walling, a regular customer at Barnes & Noble and a self-described "mall rat," said he's noticed some changes lately. The mall has added an Old Navy. The Famous Barr department store is converting to a Macy's by this fall. Several of the mall stores have undergone renovations and expansions.

And now Barnes & Noble is in the process of moving from its current 20,000-square-foot location near the mall at 3035 William St. into a 27,000-square-foot new spot at the mall.

And they're not just moving in -- they're building onto the mall and adding music and movies to their shelves.

"It seems like they're trying to make it look less like a honky-tonk kind of mall," Walling said.

Those at the mall and Barnes & Noble wouldn't put it in those terms. But both are hoping for -- and expecting -- great things from their new partnership.

The mall hasn't had a bookstore there since Waldenbooks left last August. Waldenbooks left, in part, because Barnes & Noble had decided to relocate there.

"It's going to bring a lot more life to the center," said mall manager Paul Dobbins. "It's going to offer things we've been looking for. Bookstores are an important ingredient for a mall to be successful. ... It's a major deal."

Dobbins said a bookstore like Barnes & Noble stores elevate atmosphere and the mood at malls they're in, as well as the number of shoppers who frequent malls.

Dobbins' hope is that Barnes & Noble will add to the "many million" visits people make to the mall each year. Dobbins would not disclose exact traffic counts.

And for those B&N customers who don't like the mall -- and they're out there -- Dobbins points out that the new bookstore will have its own exterior entrance that means customers can stop in for books or Starbucks coffee without having to step foot in the main part of the mall.

"That's a possibility," Dobbins said. "But we hope they come in and take a look at some of the stores that have recently opened and some of the other things going on."

Gerald McDougall, dean of the university's Harrison College of Business, agreed that it's a good deal for both sides. The mall knows that B&N is a "magnet" store, which will attract people. There are people who go to the bookstore but not the mall, McDougall said, but called that a relatively small number.

There are more that don't go to the mall because they don't have a reason, McDougall said. If they are avid book readers, they now have one.

"They're now only attracting people who are purposefully choosing Barnes & Noble," he said. "Being at the mall, they'll attract the casual shopper."

In the end, the people who will decide how successful the move is will be the shoppers themselves.

Barnes & Noble manager Steve Turner said at first customers were a bit cautious. But they relaxed once they found out there would be an outside entrance for the bookstore and the cafe.

They also like that the store will now have computerized information systems to see if books are in stock or can be ordered, he said. Adding CDs and movies to the selection is another bonus.

Barnes & Noble customers interviewed Friday had mixed views on the move. Walling, the political science teacher at Southeast, liked it. But not everyone did.

Alex Niswonger, a Barnes & Noble customer who lives in Cape Girardeau, likes the bookstore's current location and it's ample parking. He also isn't crazy about B&N bringing in music and movies.

"There are plenty of electronic stores, plenty of movie stores," he said. "But book stores are few and far between."

Mickey Finsh of Anna, Ill., saw pros and cons. She worries about parking at the mall, especially during busy holiday shopping periods. But, for her, Barnes & Noble is the only place to get good books.

"So you go where you have to go," she said.

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137