Books-A-Million retail concept set to open
Store buys, sells and trades goods ranging from books, music, games and toys
While Books-A-Million is slated to close its Chattanooga bookstore, the company is making plans to open another retail concept at a different Hixson location.
A 2nd & Charles store, which sells new and used goods and buys a variety of previously owned items, is aiming to open in Oak Park Town Center this fall, according to the shopping center’s owner.
The store, which would be the retailer’s first in Tennessee, is expected to take 20,500 square feet of space in the center at 5756 Highway 153, said Matthew Chudoba of ShopOne. That’s about a mile or two from the longtime Books-A-Million store.
The 2nd & Charles would be neighbors to Walmart, Marshalls, Petco, Chickfil-A and other retailers and restaurants.
Chudoba said 2nd & Charles complements the center’s diverse mix of retail and dining tenants.
“We look forward to the company joining our retail lineup later this year,” he said.
The retailer buys, sells and trades goods ranging from books, music, games, toys, technology and more such as wall art and pop culture home decor, the website said.
It buys such items as iPods and iPads, e-readers, comics, books, CDs, DVDs and
musical instruments. Sellers can receive cash or a store credit, according to the website. It said its stores don’t buy phones, PC games, VHS tapes, or damaged or stolen goods.
The website said 2nd & Charles is offering “exclusives” such as a Harry Potter snow globe and a Star Wars Mandalorian tumbler.
The website shows four existing locations each in Georgia and Alabama among the 41 units in 16 states. Most of the sites are in the South, Midwest and East.
Books-A-Million, which is based in Birmingham, Alabama, last month unveiled its plans to shut down the bookstore, which has operated in Hixson for more than 25 years.
Store manager Moon McCroskey said she didn’t know exactly when the closing will be, though it has put everything on sale at 20% off. She said about 16 employees now work at the site that occupies part of a strip center at 5230 Highway 153.
Store personnel declined to talk about 2nd & Charles, but pointed to a flyer of the planned new retail unit and its location. The company’s corporate office didn’t return phone calls.
Last July, the longtime Books-A-Million store announced it was set to shut down. But then in August, an official for Books-A-Million said it would stay open after the company reached a new lease agreement for the site.
McCroskey said she didn’t know why the store is scheduled to close this time. Over the past decade and a half, bookstores have increasingly come under pressure from internet sales and some major chains have closed down.