Barnes & Noble to close at Newport on the Levee, new owners decide

NEWPORT, Ky. (FOX19) - Bookworms will soon need to find a new place to flip the pages of their latest literary needs; the new owners of Newport on the Levee announced they’re going through with their decision to close Barnes & Noble.

North American Properties said Monday the decision was a mutual agreement with the famous bookstore.

The levee mainstay will shut its doors for good Sept. 7, the ownership group says.

This is part of the levee’s comprehensive redevelopment plan, the group says.

North American Properties says they plan to remove part of the building to incorporate a ‘paseo’ — a fancy word for a plaza or walkway — through the Ohio River, which will create a more open atmosphere and make way for two new restaurants with outdoor seating.

The group says they’re still negotiating leasing deals with those two new restaurants.

“Maximizing views of the Ohio River and Cincinnati skyline are integral to our vision for the enlivened experience at Newport on the Levee,” Chief Investment Officer of North American Properties Tim Perry said. “Reimagining the New Newport on the Levee sometimes requires a clear canvas, and the need to reconsider that building with its impact to the arrival and outdoor experience is critical for a welcoming and magnetically social epicenter. The upper floor will house new jobs in the market and continue the curation of 18 hour uses for the community.”

They plan to announce the new tenants of what will remain of the building in the coming weeks.

This is not the first business closing at the levee.

In January, Mitchell’s Fish Market quickly and quietly closed their doors, leaving behind nothing but a dark building with flyers thanking their ‘friends’ they’ve made.

At the time, the levee said they they, along with North American Properties, were actively looking for ‘exciting new concepts’ for the space.