ELK GROVE, Calif. — During the Elk Grove City Council meeting Wednesday, a group of community members expressed concerns over the possibility of a Barnes & Noble Booksellers opening at the Ridge Shopping Center.
Emily Autenrieth owns A Seat at the Table Books and says the biggest concern is the possibility of being forced to close up shop.
"Book stores and locally owned coffee shops have a challenging time as it is due to the power of large corporations," said Autenrieth. "We do not have the capital or the commercial backing that a corporate book store, like Barnes & Noble, does. Having their physical location here would make our uphill climb to sustainability nearly impossible."
One by one during the public comment, people spoke out against the possibility of a new Barnes & Noble on Elk Grove Boulevard and Bruceville Road. That's about 2-miles from the locally-owned book store on Laguna Springs Drive.
Ashley Newell, who lives in Elk Grove, visits A Seat at the Table Books often. She says she prefers to shop at locally-owned businesses in an effort to help build and support communities financially.
"Small businesses are the backbone of our communities," said Newell. "They keep the money that we spend with them within our communities. You do not see that with big-box stores, they're very transactional. You go in and you get out."
At the end of the public comment session, Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen explained to concerned community members that the city is not responsible for a Barnes & Noble opening at the center.
"This is not our decision," said Singh-Allen. "It's not coming before the council. If there is a discussion happening between a developer and a prospect, we're not involved in those."
ABC10 reached out to Barnes & Noble, who says, "we would love to be in the area, but we do not have anything confirmed at this time."
ABC10 contacted Pappas Investment, the real estate development company responsible for leasing spaces at the Ridge Shopping Center. The company says, "Pappas Investment does not have a signed lease agreement with Barnes & Noble at this time."
Our news team asked if the company is working with Barnes & Noble, at all, for leasing a potential space at any time. Pappas Investment said they have no comment.