Nebraska Bookstore to close its doors
Posted By: Lauren Fabrizi
lfabrizi@klkntv.com
The Nebraska Bookstore in downtown Lincoln is calling it quits.
“It’s always bee kind of a staple of the college community,” Lukas Fricke, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln junior, said.
The bookstore near 13th and Q Streets, which is off campus, has no ties to the university. It has sold textbooks, supplies and Husker apparel for decades as an alternative to the university bookstore in the student union.
In a statement, a corporate spokesperson of the Nebraska Book Company, which owns the store, said:
“Nebraska Book Company | Neebo regularly reviews the performance of off-campus stores and closes stores that do not indicate the ability to deliver growth. After careful consideration, the company has decided to close Nebraska Bookstore in downtown Lincoln, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is purchasing the building from us. The decision to close a store is never an easy one but is important in maintaining the health of our overall operations. This store closing is consistent with our strategy of regularly reviewing all areas of our business to ensure a leading position in the higher education marketplace.”
Some students are upset. They said Neebo has better hours and better deals on textbooks.
“A lot of the best prices,” Fricke said.
Others said they’ve felt a loyalty to the university bookstore.
“If it’ your first university purchase, you probably want to buy something from the university,” masters student Brittney Merritt said.
Others are indifferent, but want to check out the closing sales.
“I thought I’d check out what they had,” UNL junior Blake Jeffres said.
Everything except for textbooks is 50 percent off. The store will close mid–July.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln currently leases the Center for Entrepreneurship building on that business strip and owns a parking lot nearby. Now, the NU Board of Regents is hoping acquire the bookstore’s real estate.
“It’s right across the street from the Van Brunt Visitor Center, it’s right near the entrance of campus,” UNL News Director Steve Smith said. “So it does make a lot of sense for UNL to use that as campus space.”
The board of regents has a plan in the works to buy the real estate for $4.75 million. They will vote Friday to approve that purchase.
If approved, Smith said it will take some time to close on the property. It’s undetermined what would take the bookstore’s place.
