WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- It was a day loyal customers of Barnes & Noble bookstore were waiting for. Seven months after the place near Wilkes-Barre was wrecked by a tornado, the store is back in its original location and welcoming people home.
It was a warm welcome back for customers who waited in the single-digit cold.
"They closed with a storm and they opened with a storm."
Their beloved Barnes & Noble is back where it belongs.
"I could not wait for today," said Sandra Chiampi. "I was at that door 15 minutes before it opened, and it's like coming home again."
Seven months after a tornado ripped through the place, it looks like nothing happened.
The store was open in a temporary location while this building was repaired, but this is a place where customers come to spend time in a world of books. They missed that.
A ribbon cutting marked the opening of the store Tuesday.
"It looked so different, I'm just shocked," Bradie Paulewicz said.
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Renee Harrison brought the kids to be part of opening day since it's a snow day at school. They loved seeing the place full of life again, full of smiles.
"It's exciting. I think everyone is just so anxious to get the store open since the tornado. It's just great to be back here," Harrison said.
"That was awesome. It was like coming home, giving hugs and seeing people that were here and are still here, and that they love this place as much as the people of the Wyoming Valley love it," Chiampi added.