A local Books-A-Million puts up a “Store Closing” sign, and within hours, social media fills with posts claiming the entire chain is shutting down. It happens almost every time a single location closes. The reaction spreads fast, and the reality gets buried.
This article gives you a straight answer on whether Books-A-Million is going out of business, why some stores are closing, how many locations are still open, and what to do if your nearest store shuts down.
Books-A-Million Is Not Going Out of Business
Let’s answer the main question first: Books-A-Million is not shutting down as a company. There is no credible announcement of a chain-wide closure, and the evidence points in the opposite direction.
As of 2025, Books-A-Million operates somewhere between 250 and 260 stores across 32 states. It remains the second-largest bookstore chain in the United States, behind Barnes & Noble. That’s not the profile of a business on its way out.
In fact, Publishers Weekly reported in 2025 that BAM is opening 15 new outlets that year, with plans to open roughly one new store per week for the rest of 2025. That kind of expansion doesn’t happen when a company is winding down.
The official website backs this up. Booksamillion.com runs active promotions, sells merchandise across multiple categories, and lists over 250 store locations with hours and addresses. A chain in liquidation doesn’t behave this way.
Why Specific Stores Close While the Rest Stay Open
This is where most of the confusion comes from. When a single BAM location closes, local news and social media often describe it in ways that sound like the whole company is collapsing.
Phrases like “Books-A-Million is shutting its doors” refer to one store. But without that context, readers assume the worst.
Closing individual stores is normal retail practice
Retail chains close underperforming locations all the time. It’s not always a warning sign. Companies regularly exit markets with high rent, low foot traffic, or outdated store formats while opening new locations in better-performing areas.
Books-A-Million is no different. According to Publishers Weekly, BAM closes relatively few stores compared to how many it opens. The closures that do happen are usually driven by practical business reasons, not financial collapse.
Real examples of local closures
The Jacksonville Beach, Florida location closed after 25 years in South Beach Parkway Plaza. Local news covered it with “store closing” headlines that sounded significant. But another BAM location at Orange Park Mall stayed open nearby. The company didn’t leave the region — it consolidated.
The Rapid City, South Dakota location closed in early 2026. A local TV segment described it as BAM “shutting its doors,” which is technically accurate for that one store. But hundreds of other locations continued operating without interruption.
Both closures were real. Neither one meant the chain was finished. That distinction matters.
What drives an individual store closure
Based on reporting and community discussions around recent closures, common reasons include:
- Rent increases that make a location unprofitable
- Lease not being renewed by the landlord
- Consistently low sales compared to other stores
- The store format being too large or too small for the market
- The company shifting focus to stronger regional locations
None of these reasons are unique to Books-A-Million. They apply to most retail chains managing a large portfolio of physical stores.
How Many Books-A-Million Stores Are Still Open
The official BAM store finder lists over 250 active locations. Wikipedia puts the number at around 260 stores across 32 states. The honest answer is somewhere in that range, and the number shifts slightly as new stores open and others close.
Books-A-Million is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. The Anderson family took the company private in 2015, and at that time annual sales were around $475 million. That’s not a small operation.
The store format has evolved too. BAM locations now carry a lot more than books. Walk into one and you’ll find manga, collectibles, pop-culture merchandise, toys, gifts, and tech accessories. These categories have become a significant part of what the stores sell, which helps explain why the chain has stayed relevant when other booksellers have struggled.
If you want to check whether a specific store is still open, the fastest way is to use the store finder at Booksamillion.com. It shows current locations, hours, and addresses. If your store no longer appears there, it has likely closed.
The 2nd & Charles Situation and What It Means for BAM Locations
One scenario that causes extra confusion: a Books-A-Million closes, and shortly after, a 2nd & Charles opens nearby. People assume BAM abandoned the area. That’s not quite what’s happening.
2nd & Charles is a used books and media concept that operates under the same corporate umbrella as Books-A-Million. When an East York BAM location appeared to go dark, community members noticed 2nd & Charles signage going up in its place. The local reaction was that BAM had left.
In reality, it was a format change within the same corporate family. Instead of a traditional new-books store, the location shifted to the used books and media model. The company didn’t exit the market — it repositioned.
This matters because it changes how you interpret a local closure. If a BAM closes and a 2nd & Charles opens nearby, that’s a strategic pivot, not a retreat. The two brands are connected.
What to Do If Your Local Store Is Closing
If you’ve seen closing signs at your nearest Books-A-Million, here’s what to do instead of assuming the worst.
Verify the closure before acting
Check the BAM store finder first. If the location still appears with active hours, the closure rumor may be exaggerated or early. If the store is gone from the list, it has likely confirmed its closure.
Look at the in-store signage carefully. A legitimate closing sale will usually include language like “This Store Only” or “This Location Only.” That phrase is a clear signal the closure is local, not chain-wide.
Your gift cards and rewards still work
If your local store closes, your Books-A-Million gift cards and loyalty rewards don’t disappear. You can use them on the Booksamillion.com website or at any other open BAM location. The brand and ecommerce operation continue running regardless of individual store closures.
If you have specific questions about a rewards balance or gift card, calling BAM customer service directly is faster than relying on social media for answers.
Check if inventory moved to a nearby store
Community discussions around recent BAM closures suggest that when a store shuts down, inventory is sometimes transferred to nearby locations rather than liquidated entirely. It’s worth visiting or calling a neighboring store if you’re looking for something specific.
How Books-A-Million Is Competing in a Tough Market
The broader context is worth understanding. Physical bookstores have faced real pressure from Amazon, digital reading, and declining mall traffic for more than a decade. Several chains didn’t survive — Borders being the most prominent example.
Books-A-Million has stayed in business partly by staying quiet and running a tight operation. Since going private in 2015, it hasn’t had to answer to public shareholders, which gives management more flexibility to make decisions without short-term pressure.
The push into manga, collectibles, and pop-culture merchandise is a deliberate move to attract younger shoppers and fans who want a physical place to browse things they can’t easily preview online. That strategy appears to be working well enough to justify new store openings in 2025.
For practical business coverage and retail news, resources like Ibizpress track trends that help put individual company moves like this into broader context.
BAM still faces real challenges. Mall traffic continues to decline in many markets. Online competition isn’t going away. Some smaller or older locations may not survive lease renewals. These are genuine risks, and it would be misleading to pretend otherwise.
But risk is not the same as imminent closure. The chain is opening stores in 2025, not closing them at scale.
The Bottom Line
Books-A-Million is not going out of business. Individual stores close for practical reasons — rent, performance, format changes — and local headlines often make those closures sound bigger than they are.
The company operates over 250 stores, is opening new locations through 2025, and runs an active ecommerce business. That’s not what a failing company looks like.
If your local store is closing, check the official site, use your gift cards online or at another location, and look into whether a 2nd & Charles might be opening nearby. If you’re just following a rumor you saw online, the most likely explanation is that one store closed and the headline got out of hand.
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