LAHAINA – With some regrets, but with much excitement about the future, Barnes & Noble Bookstore has left Lahaina.

The excitement is that they are keeping their doors open, but in Kahului.

“We are so grateful to the Lahaina community for all of their support and outreach,” said Jenifer Neale, Barnes & Noble community business development manager.

“Because the West Side community wrote letters, signed petitions and made phone calls to Barnes & Noble’s corporate office, we are on Maui to stay. The community outpouring has been amazing.”

The store has been truly loved by West Side residents and tourists alike. For many years, Barnes & Noble has supplied the island with an unparalleled selection of books, magazines, gifts, music, movies and toys, besides great food.

The staff has constantly given one-on-one advice and recommendations to book enthusiasts of all ages.

The new Barnes & Noble Bookstore grand opening was Monday, March 12. Located in Maui Marketplace at 270 Dairy Road in Kahului, the bookstore will continue to provide book fairs for Maui schools, story times for keiki and a platform for local authors to present their books to the community.

In addition, the community can look forward to Barnes & Noble’s holiday activities and special appearances by musical artists.

“Our passionate booksellers are excited to share the love of books on the island of Maui,” said Neale. “However sad it is for us to be leaving Lahaina, remember, we are just a phone call away. We will continue to build rewarding partnerships with the entire island.”

Barnes & Noble Inc. reported that the new location is temporary, and the company is searching for a permanent home on the island.

“Our dedicated team of booksellers in Maui is really excited to open the doors of this new location in Maui Marketplace to the community,” said Jim Lampassi, vice president, real estate development.

“We invite everyone in Maui to stop by and browse our specially curated selection of books and products. The outpouring of support from the community as we tirelessly worked to find a new store in the area was heartwarming, and we can’t wait to continue to serve our loyal customers on the island.”

“We would like to thank our broker, Roger Lyons of CBRE in Honolulu, for helping us to identify an appropriate short-term lease until we find a more permanent location, and Petco, the previous occupant of the space, who we are subleasing it from,” added Lampassi.

The Maui Friends of the Library Bookstore is now the only bookstore on the West Side. Located in the Wharf Cinema Center, the store carries used books (from donations) and new Hawaiian titles.