Books-a-Million coming to Mall Del Norte

Despite booking Sarah Palin, Books-a-million sounds like a good addition to the Mall

Tim Gutierrez started off tonight's newscast with the announcement of a new bookstore that's coming to Laredo. It appears that a deal to bring a Books-a-million store to Mall del Norte was finalized Monday, according to Pro8news. The projected opening date for the new store was given as late March or April. I think I heard Tim or Ann mention that it would be occupying the same location that Dalton Books was in but I can't vouch for that part of the story.

Books-a-million operates mostly in medium markets and thus seems to be a good fit for Laredo, whose population is still growing but at a much slower pace than it had been. Another aspect of Books-a-million that I was reading about is that they allow their stores to cater to a regional market and not all stores have to sell the exact same inventory. This is certainly an advantage in a city like Laredo, where you have two languages and strong regional  influences. There are also many substantial discounts available at Books-a-Million even on best sellers.

Those who  like to treat their taste buds while browsing the shelves will also probably like the new bookstore in town. Many Book-a-millions stores have in-store  Joe Muggs Coffeehouses and recently they have reached an agreement with Mountain Yogurt to install self-service yogurt shops in their stores as well. All in all, it seems that this new bookstore has the potential to make a good first impression and more importantly, hopefully a lasting impression on Laredo as well.