A location of Dallas' beloved used-book chain Half Price Books is preparing for its final chapter. The Half Price Books in Mesquite, at 1645 N. Town E. Blvd., in the Market East Shopping Center, will close in May, after 30 years.

The store's last day will be Sunday, May 5, and will leave the city of Mesquite without a book store. Store personnel called the closure "unfortunate."

According to Half Price Books spokesperson Emily Bruce, the store's lease is about to end and they will not renew.

"We’ve been in Mesquite since 1994 and have great customers in the area," Bruce says. "But due to a decline in customer traffic, we made the decision to close at the end of our lease."

Market East Shopping Center was built in 1986, across the street from Town East Mall, and is anchored by a Target, Academy Sports, Marshalls, and Home Goods. While the mall suffered during the pandemic, the area has mostly revived, drawing customers from Mesquite, Buckner Terrace, and far East Dallas.

Sadly, the store has served as Mesquite's only bookstore since 2021, when The Book Co., which took over the former Paperbacks Plus store in downtown Mesquite, closed.

Half Price Books was founded in 1972 by two book lovers, Pat Anderson and Ken Gjemre, and remains family-owned. They sell used books, textbooks, music, and movies, and have proven to be resilient. During the dark days of the pandemic, they offered curbside pickup, and more recently began carrying New York Times best-sellers.

At their flagship location at 5803 E. Northwest Hwy in Dallas, they're partnering with La Casita Bakeshop to open a coffee shop-restaurant serving brunch and drinks in spring 2024, replacing Black Forest Coffee which closed in 2023. They also have a robust online operation.

They currently have approximately 120 stores in 19 states, including 40 in Texas.

The company will have until May 15 to remove inventory at the Mesquite location. Once it closes, the nearest stores will be in Garland at 3085 N. George Bush Fwy. and Rockwall at 959 E. I-30.

"We hope to see our customers at our other DFW locations including our nearby stores in Rockwall and Garland," Bruce says.