The Athens Book Center, Athens, Ohio, which announced last month it would close August 31 in order to make room for a new tenant, will remain open a bit longer and retains hope that a new store can be established in another location, the Post reported.
"The gym, Synapse, was set to move in September 1. Their funding situation changed and didn't come through," said bookseller Susan Lee-Meeder, adding that Athens Book Center will now be able to stay open until mid- to late-September.
The Post noted that while the bookshop's "closing date has been postponed, talks to establish a new bookstore have already begun.... The potential bookstore will not be affiliated with the Athens Book Center and will not take its name."
"We know the community wants a new bookstore. We are trying to make it happen," said Lee-Meeder, adding that the goals would include expanding the children's section, being in a different, smaller building and being more of a cultural center for the town. "In a bookstore there is a lot of sharing and a lot of conversation. Athens would be a pinnacle place for ideas with the university and its diverse population and demographic.... I think it is the perfect place for a community bookstore."
