Royal Oak Barnes and Noble Safe for Now

(Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 20, 2013)

Developers withdrew plans to open a bar in the location of the current Barnes and Noble store at 500 S. Main St. in Royal Oak.  The Royal Oak City Commission was scheduled to hear a liquor license transfer request on Monday night, but Mayor Jim Ellison announced that SV One withdrew their request.

“This is a withdrawal, not a postponement, or a delay,” he said.  “This petitioner no longer has a request for transferring a liquor license pending in the city of Royal Oak. Should this petitioner or a new petitioner later wish to submit a new request for this location, they would have to start the process from scratch.”

Property owner Tim Blum told the Commission that he has given Barnes and Noble a significant cut to their rent in order for them to stay, saying it was cut in half.

“It’s been rumored that I want to throw them out.  If I wanted to do that I probably could have done it about a year and a half ago,” he said.

“They have not done the sales to justify the rent.” he said. “I can’t keep subsidizing that space forever.”