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<p>WILKES-BARRE TWP. &#8212; The wait is finally over for area book lovers.</p><p>After a months-long restoration and renovation process, the Barnes &amp; Noble devastated by last June&#8217;s tornado in the Arena Hub Plaza is back open for business.</p><p>&#8220;We wanted to get our home base back,&#8221; said store manager Larry Fama. &#8220;The outpouring and concern from the community really showed how important we are here.&#8221;</p><p>Fama predicted patrons will like the upgrades to the interior.</p><p>&#8220;We remodeled the cafe and added seating around the store for our customers&#8217; leisure,&#8221; he explained.</p><p>Management, employees, guests and some curious customers were on hand to see Fama cut the red ribbon to signal the store&#8217;s reopening Tuesday night.</p><p>&#8220;It began with a tornado and it ends with a snowstorm,&#8221; laughed assistant store manager Sean Yustat. &#8220;We are just glad to be back.&#8221;</p><p>The public can enter the remodeled space when doors open at 9 a.m. Wednesday.</p><p>A portion of book sales from Tuesday night&#8217;s festivities will go to the Keystone State Literacy Association of Luzerne County.</p><p><strong>&#8216;It&#8217;s wonderful&#8217;</strong></p><p>At a time when bookstores are closing at a rapid pace, officials say the reopening of the brick-and-mortar location signals a commitment to the community.</p><p>&#8220;We are here to stay,&#8221; said Christina Reed, the chain&#8217;s regional vice president for the Northeast. &#8220;We stayed with the old layout but added some new features we think customers will like.&#8221;</p><p>The video and music section that was previously at the rear of the store has been replaced by a toys and game section. The music section has moved to the middle of the store.</p><p>Meanwhile, the seven-month renovation has served as a healing process for Joe Stager.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve had a lot of time to decompress,&#8221; said Stager, Barnes &amp; Noble sales inventory manager. &#8220;I&#8217;m lucky I have a very strong family and girlfriend who I could turn to.&#8221;</p><p>When the EF-2 tornado ripped through the store, Stager shielded fellow employees near the register who were in fear for their lives.</p><p>&#8220;I acted in the moment,&#8221; he recalled. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t have time to think. I was concerned the roof was going to collapse.&#8221;</p><p>Stager is still amazed everyone got through it unscathed.</p><p>&#8220;I still can&#8217;t believe no one was injured,&#8221; he said. &#8220;When we walked around the store, seeing glass and shrapnel all over, it was sad. Had I been in the back of the store, who knows if I&#8217;d still be here.&#8221;</p><p>Stager was honored by Barnes &amp; Noble last year for protecting his colleagues during the vicious weather.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s been a real team effort,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t think we were going to be back. So much work has gone into the reopening. It&#8217;s wonderful.&#8221;</p><p>Over the last few months, Barnes &amp; Noble had been operating at a temporary location in the East End Center.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Despite a snowstorm, more than 50 people turned out for a small reception after a ribbon cutting and other festivities Tuesday to mark the reopening of Barnes &amp; Noble at the Arena Hub Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township. The store was badly damaged during June&#8217;s tornado. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_barnes4_faa-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Despite a snowstorm, more than 50 people turned out for a small reception after a ribbon cutting and other festivities Tuesday to mark the reopening of Barnes &amp; Noble at the Arena Hub Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township. The store was badly damaged during June&#8217;s tornado. </caption0><photoCredit0>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_barnes3_faa-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Barnes &amp; Noble store manager Larry Fama says a few words before a ribbon cutting Tuesday to reopen the store after a June tornado did significant damage to the Arena Hub location in Wilkes-Barre Township. Behind Fama are Regional Vice President Christina Reed and Assistant Manager Sean Yustat. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_barnes3_faa-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Barnes &amp; Noble store manager Larry Fama says a few words before a ribbon cutting Tuesday to reopen the store after a June tornado did significant damage to the Arena Hub location in Wilkes-Barre Township. Behind Fama are Regional Vice President Christina Reed and Assistant Manager Sean Yustat. </caption1><photoCredit1>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_barnes2_faa-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The Barnes &amp; Noble location at the Arena Hub Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township held reopening festivities Tuesday during a snowstorm that dumped several inches on the area. The store was badly damaged in a June tornado. &#8216;It began with a tornado and it ends with a snowstorm,&#8217; noted assistant store manager Sean Yustat. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_barnes2_faa-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>The Barnes &amp; Noble location at the Arena Hub Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township held reopening festivities Tuesday during a snowstorm that dumped several inches on the area. The store was badly damaged in a June tornado. &#8216;It began with a tornado and it ends with a snowstorm,&#8217; noted assistant store manager Sean Yustat. </caption2><photoCredit2>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Seven months after tornado, renovated bookstore debuts at Arena Hub Plaza</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dan Stokes</p><p>dstokes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Dan Stokes at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @ByDanStokes</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Barnes & Noble returns to Arena Hub Plaza