Barnes & Noble Downtown/YSU Overview:
A new Barnes & Noble University Bookstore was completed on the corner of Fifth and Lincoln a few months ago. In addition to being a bookstore for Youngstown State University, it serves as a full size Barnes & Noble. It also has a section with YSU themed apparel and other items as well as a Starbucks on the first floor. Along with the University Edge Apartments project on the same block, this development has urbanized a section of town that was only used for surface parking.
Here is the master plan for the whole block - hopefully the empty land remaining along Fifth Avenue will eventually be developed:
The next picture is the Barnes & Noble Building from the outside. I am glad that they decided to put it along the street instead of making it into some suburban style plaza. YSU has been fairly good about keeping their new developments "urban" rather than "suburban." There is a lot of oppourtunity to develop the other corners of
the intersection - they are all parking lots at the moment. It could help make this section of town become more walkable.
This new Barnes & Noble/Starbucks will not only help improve the YSU Campus, but it will bring people to Downtown to shop due to it being a full sized Barnes & Noble, not just a campus bookstore.
Here are some pictures of the interior - Personally, I am really happy with how it turned out:
Barnes & Noble will also be taking over the Eastern Gateway Bookstore in Downtown. That means there will be an expanded bookstore and Starbucks located on the
corner of Boardman and Chestnut Streets in Downtown - but I can't find too much information on when this will be completed.