Half Priced Books closing its doors

Coffee shop among businesses proposed in Mentor Avenue store location

Half Price Books will close its doors at the end of the business day Jan. 3, says a company spokeswoman.

The city of Mentor is losing another national retailer, but potentially gaining a new one.

Half Price Books in Mentor will close its doors at the end of the business day Jan. 3, according to company spokeswoman Emily Bruce.

“We have wonderful customers in Mentor, but unfortunately the traffic hasn’t been high enough to allow us to stay, so we decided to close the store in conjunction with the end of our lease,” she said.

“Our development team is always looking for new locations and we hope to find one in the Cleveland area in the future. We do not have plans to close any other stores in the area at this time.”

That means the Half Price Books in Mayfield Heights will remain open.

The Mentor building, in the Heisley Pointe retail center at 9383 Mentor Ave., is targeted for a coffee shop with a drive-through and outdoor patio. The proposal, which requires a conditional-use permit, is on the city Planning Commission agenda Dec. 21.

The applicant indicated that the coffee shop would occupy 2,200 square feet at the western end of the 8,000-square-foot building, and that four retail spaces would be created.

The prospective business hasn’t been disclosed.

“Unfortunately, I’m not able to share details other than what we’ve communicated to the city at this time,” said Heisley Pointe property manager Robyn Liberatore.

When asked whether Starbucks seeks to move across the street to the site, she said, “There are many large coffee chains looking to expand their market presence, so I would not limit the assumption to Starbucks.”

Bob Brandon, co-owner of the building in which the current Starbucks is located — 9372 Mentor Ave. — said he hadn’t heard of any such plan. An attempt to reach a Starbucks spokesman for comment was unsuccessful.

The proposed hours would be from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Friday and from 5 a.m. to midnight Saturday and Sunday. The store would have four to six employees per shift.

Four to six tables would be within the patio area There will be seating for approximately 36-50 customers.

The drive-through lane would be on the north side of the building and the pickup window on the westfacing wall.

The city engineer recommends that the Mentor Avenue access drive be reconstructed as right-in, rightout only. Drivers wishing to go eastbound on Mentor Avenue would be directed back around the building to the signalized intersection at Heisley Road.

The loss of Half Price Books is the latest hit to the city’s retail offerings. Others in the past year include hhgregg, gordman’s, Family Christian, Shoe Carnival, Wet Seal, Kmart and The Limited.

“The Heisley Pointe project is bittersweet,” said Mentor Economic & Community Development Director Ronald M. Traub. “I’m disappointed Half Price Books is closing, but the reimaging will allow for several new tenants to join our community.”