Atlanta's Chapter 11 Shutters Two More Stores

by Edward Nawotka, PW Daily -- Publishers Weekly, 4/11/2007

Atlanta's once preeminent bookstore chain Chapter 11 will shutter two of its last three remaining stores on May 12. The Sandy Springs and Ansley Mall locations will close, leaving only the Emory Commons shop open. The chain, which had approximately $3 million in sales last year, plans to refocus on Internet and bulk sales to schools and businesses. Management said it hopes to retain some of the 10 employees slated to lose their jobs by transitioning them to the online business.

Throughout the 1990s, the Chapter 11 chain expanded aggressively, reaching a peak of 16 stores throughout Atlanta and its environs, but the expansion was costly and led to the eventual bankruptcy of the retailer, forcing owner Perry Tanner to sell out to an independent consortium two years ago.

The loss of the Ansley Mall store is a particular blow to Atlanta. The location was previously home to the city's venerable Ansley Mall Bookstore, before it closed and was taken over by Chapter 11.