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Lease Extension Keeps Barnes & Noble Open In The Bronx

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A deal has saved the last bookstore in the Bronx.

The Barnes & Noble in the Bay Plaza Shopping Center in Co-op City was set to close its doors in January because of a lease problem.

When news of the possible closure spread, residents said it shook folks up.

"People come here, they can get a snack and read all day if they want," one man told 1010 WINS' Al Jones. "It's a gathering place for the community."

Lease Extension Keeps Barnes & Noble Open In The Bronx

But now the store has been given a new, two-year lease extension.

"The store does well and we're happy to be here," said Frank Morabito with Barnes & Noble. "We didn't want to leave. We want to be here."

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said the rest is up to residents.

"If you want a store to flourish and stay here in our borough, you've got to come here and buy books," he said.

As for what the future holds for the store, Morabito declined to comment beyond the two years.

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