By Ayla Romero
The wait is finally over and Visalia once again has a real bookstore in town. The once run-down Sequoia Mall has been coming back to life this past year as new stores open to attract locals. In these past few months we have been introduced to a Nordstrom Rack, a Sprouts supermarket, and now we have a Barnes & Noble!
With the exception of a couple of small, local bookstores, Visalia hasn’t been home to a regular bookstore since Borders left in 2011. That bookstore was also located in the Sequoia Mall. The smaller bookstores in town are nice, but they don’t have the same variety and volume that a larger store offers. Plus, Barnes and Noble has a Starbucks located inside.
The grand opening was January 31st. Gary Soto, the famous poet and Central Valley native, was present for a book signing and ribbon cutting. The newest addition to the mall is a blessing to many local booklovers and readers.
I’ve taken the liberty of interviewing a few students on campus to get an idea of how El D is feeling about the new bookstore coming to town. It turns out that there are quite a few readers here that have never actually been to a Barnes & Noble bookstore.
Junior, Vanesa Avila, shared her thoughts and after asking her about her experience with Barnes & Noble, she admitted, “ I actually have never been to one before but I am most definitely planning to check it out once it opens.”
Another student on campus, Jetsie Villegas also mentioned, “I have talked to some friends about going there soon and seeing what they have to offer.”
It says a great deal when there are people who have never been into a Barnes & Noble but are already planning to go and check it out. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much buzz surrounding a new store opening in town. I don’t only hear people talking about it but I also see students already posting about it on social media. For years I’ve been saying that Visalia really needs a good bookstore like Barnes & Noble and to see that becoming a reality, to say I’m excited would be an understatement.
What I love about Barnes & Noble is not only its wide variety of books, but also the fact that it gives readers a place to relax and find peace. Our lives as high schoolers are already so chaotic that sometimes after a long day we just need an escape, and some people find that escape through reading.
Junior, Monse Sanchez talked about her love of reading by sharing, “I like to read because it reduces stress, boosts communication skills, acquires new knowledge, and improves literacy. Also it’s nice reading in my leisure time and it’s one way to stay away from my phone for a couple of hours.”
With this new bookstore in town, maybe more students will find interest in reading more, who knows? All I know is that with all this buzz going around on the store’s grand opening, I can’t wait to go check it out and I know I’m not the only one.