Because it was unable "to tap into that mall market," as owner Chris O'Harra said, Auntie's Bookstore, Spokane, Wash., is closing its three-year-old River Park Square branch, the Spokesman-Review reported.
Auntie's at the Square will shut its doors January 31. The store said, "Although the closure is disheartening, it will allow the main location to focus on its future and sustainability to ensure Spokane will continue to have an independent bookstore to call home."
The store also has an airport branch. The River Park Square's strongest category was children's books; the previous tenant in the space was the Children's Corner Bookshop.