LACROSSE, Wis. — Building inspectors ordered Barnes & Nobel to close its Valley View Mall store because its roof might collapse. The city condemnation order said roof leaks rendered the large retail structure unsafe for human occupancy. At corporate offices in New York, the company promised to reopen the store as soon as repairs are completed. The store is one of only two anchors at the once vibrant Valley View regional destination mall in suburban Onalaska. The mall has fallen on bad times with changing lifestyle and shopping trends. In 2020 the Philadelphia-based mall management company PREIT lost ownership in a court-ordered foreclosure.
Chain store. Banes & Nobel is the largest U.S. book retailer with 700 locations.