The Barnes & Noble bookstore across from Tyrone Square Mall in St. Petersburg has served readers for more than three decades. Now its days are numbered, though no one will say exactly how many remain.
BayCare Health System purchased the property at 2501 Tyrone Blvd. N. in January for $10 million. The nonprofit health care giant plans to convert the 15,800-square-foot building into a freestanding emergency room, part of a $30 million project approved through Pinellas County municipal bonds last August.
The bookstore remains open for now. But whether Barnes & Noble will find a new home in St. Petersburg — or leave the city entirely — remains unclear.
“We are honoring an existing lease by the current tenant,” said C. Todd Jones, BayCare’s chief strategy officer and chief ambulatory services officer. He didn’t say when that lease expires or when construction would begin.
BayCare spokesperson Mary Marandi said the health system knows the timeline but won’t disclose it.
“We want to ensure Barnes & Noble has communicated the timeline with their team before we share any further details,” Marandi said. “We wouldn’t be a good and responsible partner if we disclosed something that hasn’t been shared internally on their end.”
Barnes & Noble spokesperson Janine Flanigan offered little clarity.
“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 respond to questions about whether the company is searching for a new location in the city or when employees would be notified of the store’s closing date.
The Tyrone store opened in 1993 when the building was constructed. It is the only Barnes & Noble location in St. Petersburg.
BayCare said the new emergency room will be affiliated with St. Anthony’s Hospital in downtown St. Petersburg and will employ about 40 people. The existing structure will be repurposed rather than demolished.
This marks the second time BayCare has purchased a Barnes & Noble property in Tampa Bay. In 2024, the health system bought a closed Barnes & Noble in Tampa’s Carrollwood neighborhood for $10.5 million to build an urgent care center.
In that case, Barnes & Noble found a new location about a mile away. The company reopened in a former Bed Bath & Beyond space in April, roughly eight months after leaving its original Carrollwood store.
Barnes & Noble has been expanding aggressively in Florida. The company opened a store in Palm Harbor last month — its sixth Florida location this year — and expects to open more than 60 stores nationwide in 2025.
Whether St. Petersburg remains part of that growth strategy is the question customers are asking.
The Tyrone store continues to host events, with story times and author appearances scheduled into March. Its website shows regular hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
The property sits on 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 about 1.5 miles from HCA Florida St. Petersburg Hospital.
James W. Holton, a St. Petersburg developer, built the structure and owned it through JWH Properties Inc. until selling to BayCare, according to the St. Pete Catalyst.
Freestanding emergency rooms offer the same services as hospital-based ERs but are typically located in residential areas for quicker access. BayCare’s nearest freestanding ER is Bardmoor Emergency Center in Largo, affiliated with Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater.
BayCare operates 16 hospitals throughout Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Polk counties.