The future of a suburban bookstore is uncertain. Why some in Pierce County are so worried
In 1996, Lakewood’s future was bright. Big things were happening at the mall.
Locals had heard it all before. Bold proclamations were nothing new.
When the McChord Air Force Marching Band and Washington’s first lady Jean Gardner celebrated the new and improved Lakewood Mall’s grand opening roughly six years earlier — heralded in The News Tribune as “the start of a new era in shopping”— hopes were high for the former Villa Plaza.
The massive redevelopment project — 1.3 million square feet in all, envisioned as a second “super regional” mall capable of competing with Tacoma’s — was expected to help usher Lakewood into the future.
“I think we’ve got something unique here,” said Jo Kuehner, the Lakewood Mall’s manager when it opened to the public in 1989.
Hindsight is 20-20. In 1992, the Lakewood Mall’s marquee tenant, Frederick & Nelson, went under, soon to be replaced by the less iconic, mid-tier retailer Gottschalks.
Before long, Lamonts bailed on Lakewood, too, shortly after the local retailer sought bankruptcy protection. Ernst Home & Nursery followed suit.
Never mind any of that. By 1996, the tide was finally turning.
Basil Vyzis, the Bellevue-based developer who poured hopes, dreams and millions of dollars into reimagining the Lakewood Mall, was sure of it.
Barnes & Noble — the bookstore giant — had announced plans to open a 23,000-square-foot brick and mortar, not far from Target.
A 12-screen movie theater was also in the works.
“Lakewood has the opportunity and the physical layout to develop into the retail center of the year 2000,” Vyzis triumphantly told The News Tribune’s Kim Eckart in early May of that year.
Tragically, Vyzis suffered a brain aneurysm and died just days after his final quote appeared in the newspaper.
Four years later, when the year 2000 arrived, much of the mall Vyzis built in Lakewood was slated for demolition, razed to make way for the next big thing, Lakewood Towne Center, which opened two years later.
Still, nearly three decades after the fact, Vyzis was right about one thing:
Barnes & Noble is a big draw — to this day. That’s what makes the sudden uncertainty surrounding the bookseller’s future in Lakewood so jarring for locals.
In its current location, the store’s days appear numbered. There are 390 apartment units in the works, as The News Tribune’s Debbie Cockrell recently reported.
Again, it’s progress tied to big dreams. Lakewood needs every bit of housing it can get, Mayor Jason Whalen told me.
He’s confident a new home for Barnes & Noble will be found in the city.
None of that makes change easier for some residents to swallow, Whalen acknowledged.
“We want to maintain the integrity of residential neighborhoods, so it begs the question: Where do you plan for density?” said Whalen, noting that future population growth and state mandates make ignoring the need for new housing impossible.
“It shouldn’t be surprising to folks who’ve been watching this process over the last several years, but for those who don’t keep their nose to the grindstone … it probably is disturbing,” Whalen said.
“Frankly, it’s the kind of development that we’re looking to achieve in Lakewood to try to alleviate the pressure.”
‘A dumb thing to do’
Eric Chandler is one of the aggrieved. If there’s a hot-button issue in Lakewood, chances are he has an opinion.
Chandler, 75, bought a home with a view of Lake Louise in 1987 for $87,500. These days, the retired Army officer — who spent two decades working at Clover Park Technical College after leaving his military post — can often be found crafting letters to the editor, including a selection posted online at Lakewood’s Suburban Times.
Like others in the city of more than 60,000, Chandler says he’s not sold on the idea of constructing nearly 400 units of housing where the Barnes & Noble now stands.
Mostly, Chandler harbors standard concerns, like the potential impact on traffic, parking and the quality of life he’s come to enjoy as someone who resides in suburbia by choice.
Chandler has also learned to be skeptical of the city’s promises, he said, noting the 2022 closure of the historic Flora Tenzler Library — and what he described as the cold, hard lesson situations like these provide.
Plans for Lakewood’s future — whether they call for a new library facility or a new home for Barnes & Noble — only go so far, Chandler told me.
“I’m opinionated when people do stupid things,” Chandler said.
“To me, taking that Barnes & Noble out is a dumb thing to do.”
According to Becky Newton, Lakewood’s economic development manager, Chandler’s fears aren’t uncommon, even if expressed with more color and indignation than most.
Many residents have expressed anger and confusion about the plan for Lakewood Towne Center and the surrounding area, which is included in the city’s subarea growth plans, said Newton, who’s also currently serving as interim community and economic development director.
Some seem to believe Lakewood city officials have more power than they do, Newton indicated, underscoring that Kite Realty owns the land and is free to do what it wants, including working with the Seattle-based Alliance Residential to redevelop it within the constraints of local zoning regulations.
“It’s private property. All of the development is private. Whether a store stays or goes or retail stays or goes, it’s really up to the private sector. The city’s job is to ensure that we attract and keep businesses, as well as provide incentives and the best business environment possible” Newton told The News Tribune.
“From the conversations we’ve had with all parties, we’re very optimistic that Barnes & Noble will stay in Lakewood,” she added.
“The community loves the store and has provided a lot of support. I think they’re well aware we want them to stay.”
Representatives from Kite Reality and Barnes & Noble could not be reached for comment by The News Tribune.
‘A pillar of the community’
How did a brick-and-mortar bookstore, in the year 2024 — built in a sprawling, auto-centric landscape straight out of an urbanist’s nightmare — become a cherished community gathering place?
The answer is simple, according to Jo Neary, who grew up in Lakewood and got her first job working as a barista at the nearby Barnes and Noble.
You can throw out the local walkability score, access to public transit and all those other buzzwords and catchphrases proponents of urban living bandy about.
Lakewood residents still need places to gather — to run into neighbors, spend lazy weekend afternoons with their kids or meet friends for coffee — and for the better part of three decades, Barnes & Noble has provided just that, Neary said.
“I remember going to Barnes & Noble almost every weekend growing up, hanging out in the kids section and then later the young adult section. So when I came back from college, it was only natural to apply there as my first job,” said Neary, 36, who worked her way up from bookstore barista to management, eventually transitioning to her current career at Starbucks.
Neary still lives in Lakewood, not far from the Barnes & Noble.
“The store really is a pillar of the community. There are so many regulars. … It’s just a very organic relationship,” said Neary.
“Even the idea of them leaving is honestly really heartbreaking,” she added. “It has always felt like a good place to be.”
Whalen agrees. Speaking with The News Tribune last week, Lakewood’s mayor reiterated his confidence that Kite Reality and Barnes & Noble will soon finalize a lease agreement keeping the store in the city.
“Anytime you have a beloved space that’s been in the neighborhood for a long time, people kind of get used to what is and fearful of what may be,” Whalen observed.
Perhaps Whalen’s diagnosis is correct.
Regardless, Chandler said he’ll believe in happy endings when he sees one in Lakewood.
“It pisses me off, because it’s a perfect little bookstore. Replacing it with a damn apartment building just doesn’t make any sense,” Chandler told me.
“Of course, there are a lot of things in this city that don’t make any sense to me,” he added.
This story was originally published March 21, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
