Michael T. Mondak speaks: Community-Based Survey on Bringing a Barnes & Noble to the Hickory Fields Plaza

Remember last month when I addressed the city commissioners on possibly bringing a bookstore to Hermitage for the first time since 2024?  For those of you who missed it, here it is again.

Last month I wrote a letter to the Sharon Herald to address the need for a bookstore to fill the void left behind when the Shenango Valley Mall closed on June 1, 2024.  I addressed the commissioners of the city of Hermitage at their regular September meeting during the public comment portion, mentioning that I had been out and about gauging public interest in bringing a bookstore back to the city.

Lately I thought about doing a Google Forms survey on bringing a Barnes & Noble bookstore to Hickory Fields because that was the most promising of my trio of suggestions for a bookstore, a year-round Penn State Creamery ice cream parlor and a party supply store.


As I write this entry, I have received 54 responses.  Here are the results as of this entry:

  • When asked if they would support a Barnes & Noble at Hickory Fields in the Shenango Valley, 50 respondents answered yes.
  • When asked how often they would visit, 28 said they would visit monthly, 18 said they would visit weekly, 6 said they would visit a few times per year, and 2 said they would occasionally visit.
  • When asked what they would expect to find there:
    • 51 respondents said new releases
    • 46 respondents said bestsellers and classics
    • 42 respondents said coffee or a comfortable browsing experience
    • 36 respondents said book clubs and author events
    • 34 respondents said children's books
    • 33 respondents said gifts, games and puzzles
    • 13 respondents said Penn State books and merchandise
  • When asked if a local bookstore would save them a trip to shop elsewhere, 48 respondents answered yes.
And when asked for additional suggestions, one respondent thought about the possibility of an employment opportunity.  Another respondent replied that a bookstore would help them in their work as a reading specialist and educator.  A third respondent wants to spend more money on books rather than gas to drive 45 minutes to the closest location in Boardman.  A fourth respondent said they want a Barnes & Noble in Hermitage to avoid paying extra sales taxes on books in Boardman.

I plan to share these new findings at an upcoming city commissioners' meeting either tomorrow evening or in November prior to Thanksgiving.

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