“I regret it any time a business has to close, but they are in the video rental business and sell hardback books, which are not growth industries,” he said. “I feel we will find a tenant, though we may have to reconfigure the space a little. I’m not certain what will go there, though I think retail is best. Even though the internet is hurting brick-and-mortar stores, there will still be those around. This space will look interesting and inviting to somebody.”

Pat Farrar, a commercial real estate agent with The Reid Co., said he agrees the Hastings space is desirable, primarily because of its size.

“At 33,000 square feet, the space would lend itself to a variety of retail uses because it could be split in half,” Farrar said.

Hastings opened in Waco in 1995 and served as a popular place to browse, relax and read in strategically located chairs.

With the closing of Hastings, Barnes & Noble on West Waco Drive becomes the only national-name bookstore operating in Greater Waco. Books-A-Million closed its store in Central Texas Marketplace in 2013, having operated there since 2005. That space now is occupied by The Gap and Ulta Beauty.

Peyton Burgess, a consultant to Hastings, said the chain has not yet decided when its quitting-business sales will start.