Bookstore's Fate Hangs in Balance
For over thirty years, a Barnes & Noble bookstore has been a fixture opposite Tyrone Square Mall in St. Petersburg. Its future is now uncertain, with closure looming but no specific date revealed.
In January, BayCare Health System acquired the property at 2501 Tyrone Blvd. N. for $10 million. The nonprofit healthcare organization intends to transform the 15,800-square-foot building into a standalone emergency room. This initiative is part of a $30 million project that received approval via Pinellas County municipal bonds last August.
The bookstore continues to operate currently. However, it is unknown whether Barnes & Noble will relocate within St. Petersburg or exit the city altogether.
"We are honoring an existing lease by the current tenant," stated C. Todd Jones, BayCare’s chief strategy officer and chief ambulatory services officer. He did not provide details on the lease expiration or construction start date.
Mary Marandi, a BayCare spokesperson, mentioned that the health system is aware of the timeline but will not make it public. "We want to ensure Barnes & Noble has communicated the timeline with their team before we share any further details," Marandi explained. "We wouldn’t be a good and responsible partner if we disclosed something that hasn’t been shared internally on their end."
Janine Flanigan, a Barnes & Noble spokesperson, offered limited information. "We remain open with no imminent plans to close, and we look forward to continuing to serve our customers in the St. Petersburg store for as long as we are able," Flanigan said. She did not address inquiries about potential new locations in the city or when staff would be informed of the closing.
Historical Context and Expansion
The Tyrone store launched in 1993 when the building was first erected. It stands as the sole Barnes & Noble outlet in St. Petersburg.
BayCare indicated that the new emergency room will be linked to St. Anthony’s Hospital in downtown St. Petersburg and will create approximately 40 jobs. The existing building will be renovated rather than torn down.
This represents the second instance where BayCare has purchased a Barnes & Noble property in the Tampa Bay area. In 2024, the health system bought a shuttered Barnes & Noble in Tampa’s Carrollwood neighborhood for $10.5 million to establish an urgent care center. In that scenario, Barnes & Noble relocated about a mile away, reopening in a former Bed Bath & Beyond space in April, around eight months after vacating the original Carrollwood store.
Barnes & Noble has been actively expanding in Florida. The company inaugurated a store in Palm Harbor last month—its sixth Florida location this year—and anticipates opening more than 60 stores across the country in 2025.
Whether St. Petersburg will remain part of this growth strategy is a pressing question for patrons.
Current Operations and Location Details
The Tyrone store still holds events, with story times and author visits scheduled through March. Its website lists standard hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
The property occupies about 2 acres across from Tyrone Square Mall. It is less than a mile from BayCare’s existing urgent care center on 66th Street North and roughly 1.5 miles from HCA Florida St. Petersburg Hospital.
James W. Holton, a St. Petersburg developer, constructed the building and owned it via JWH Properties Inc. until the sale to BayCare, as reported by the St. Pete Catalyst.
Freestanding emergency rooms provide equivalent services to hospital-based ERs but are often situated in residential areas for faster access. BayCare’s closest freestanding ER is the Bardmoor Emergency Center in Largo, associated with Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater.
BayCare runs 16 hospitals across Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Polk counties.
