Barnes & Noble Closes Its Doors in Antioch

On Monday, Barnes & Noble at Slatten Ranch in the City of Antioch has officially closed its doors as it prepares to move to the City of Brentwood.

“The team at Barnes & Noble in Antioch would like to thank our valued customers for giving us a fantastic 21 years at this location. We appreciate your business and will cherish the memories we created here. Please remember that this is not goodbye, its simply, “See you later.” Come see us at our new location at The Streets of Brentwood in December” – Your Slatten Ranch Booksellers.

The closure was announced back in January when the company said it would be moving to The Streets of Brentwood in the old REI space. The company announced in June it anticipated opening in September, however, on October 11, they said the opening has been moved to December.  It will also look similar to the Walnut Creek location. The employees will also be re-located to the new store.

The Streets of Brentwood recently announced it has transitioned to new ownership. CenterCal Properties, LLC, a prominent developer known for its vibrant retail and entertainment destinations, is now the owner of the center.

This past year, Antioch Police have responded to Barnes and Noble multiple times for burglary attempts including a pair of individuals who broke in through the backdoor overnight and were found with a large amount of Pokémon cards and other merchandise

As previously reported, the City of Antioch has been hit hard with closures over the past few years for a variety of reasons from economic climate, crime, however, they do have some wins with Harbor Freight and Five Below moving into Slatten Ranch.  Antioch has also approved several cannabis shops.  Meanwhile, Sean McCauley has worked to bring Smiths Landing and Monica’s Riverview to the downtown area along with several other small business opportunities. He also converted the former Long’s Drugs corporate office to an executive center to create more than 250 jobs.

For a variety of reasons, here is a list of store closures over the past several years within the City of Antioch:

• Jan 2023 – Antioch Bed Bath & Beyond to Close
• Jan 2020 – Macy’s in Antioch Set to Close This Spring
• Aug 2019 – Store Closing: Antioch Sears Offering 10% to 40% Discounts
• America’s Tire (Delta Fair)
• Antioch Coin Shop (2^nd Street)
• Antioch Golf N Games
• AMC Cinemas (Deer Valley)
• AMTRAK Station is moving to Oakley
• Babe Ruth Little League
• Bases Loaded Restaurant
• Bed Bath & Beyond
• Big Lots
• Burger King (E 18^th)
• BJ’s Brewhouse
• Chelsea’s Sushi (2^nd St)
• Chill Coffee (Waldie Plaza)
• Chop Suey
• Cost Plus/World Market
• Four Legs Brewing (Antioch location)
• Jerry’s Hot Dog
• KMART
• Limitless Kitchen and Bath
• Michael Pohl Photography
• Mimi’s Cafe
• Paintball Park
• Red Caboose (after a fire)
• Rivertown Sweets
• Salvation Army
• Snow Shack
• Southern Cafe
• Staples
• Straw Hat Pizza
• Starbucks (A St & 18^th)
• Vineyards Driving Range

Items of Interest in terms of Antioch Economic Development:

In April 2018, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) designated Opportunity Zones in 18 States. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act created Opportunity Zones to spur investment in distressed communities throughout the country. New investments in Opportunity Zones can receive preferential tax treatment—Antioch, Concord, Pittsburg, Richmond and San Pablo were all included.

Back in 2018, the City of Antioch hired Kwame Reed as its economic development director with a goal to bring quality businesses and jobs while redeveloping underperforming properties. However, a year after the hire, it was learned the city council hired him without providing him any funding or staffing assistance. Reed was appointed acting city manager last year and is juggling both positions.

In Sept. 2020, the Antioch City Council voted 3-2 to postpone a vote on the Delta Fair Village Apartment project which would have brought a $100+ million redevelopment project to the city.  The Delta Fair Village Multi-Family home project was a 210-apartment unit facility that would have been developed at the corner of Delta Fair and Buchanan Road with a new 4,000 square foot retail building. In total, there would be five buildings. The total size of the project was estimated of 411,511 square feet with renovation of existing 73,535 of retail space. The project was put on hold in a 3-2 vote after Councilmembers Lamar Thorpe, Joy Motts and Monica Wilson had concerns over the property owners handling of blight and fines over the past five years. Meanwhile, Mayor Sean Wright and Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock called it an opportunity to clean up a blighted area in town and begin the redevelopment of an area desperately in need.

In 2019, the Antioch City Council approved funding for Saint Mary’s College to develop a Somersville Economic Development Plan – which the city has done nothing with.

Since 2019, the City of Antioch has also worked with an advertising company to rebrand the city as “Opportunity Lives Here” and have spent nearly a million dollars of trying to brand itself to the bay area and outside markets.

Tim McCall, an Antioch Economic Development Commissioner speaks during Tuesdays Council Meeting

Meanwhile, the Antioch Economic Development Commission is on hiatus and has not met since December 2021 due to a lack of quorum and the mayor not appointing new members to serve. In March of 2023, the council opted to “re-imagine” the commission and Mayor Lamar Thorpe said it was a deliberate decision not to appoint while Director Kwame Reed stated the commission was underutilized.

Previous Stories:

• June 18, 2024 – Barnes & Noble Moving to Streets of Brentwood in September
• Jan 5, 2024 – Barnes and Noble Leaving Antioch For Streets of Brentwood