Photo by NCinDC

It may have been a huge chain bookstore, but the Barnes & Noble on the corner of Jefferson and M Streets NW in Georgetown was long a favorite stop for residents and shoppers looking to flip through a magazine or peruse three floors worth of books.

And now it’s closed.

WTOP reports that the Barnes & Noble quietly closed its doors on the last day of 2011, following up on an announcement it made in late August that it had lost its lease.

The closing marks yet another casualty in the difficult transition for bookstores in the area and across the country. Early last year, both Borders locations in the District closed; the 14th Street outpost is now The Hamilton, a massive bar, restaurant and performance space. In late 2009, Dupont Circle’s Lambda Rising closed its doors, along with Capitol Hill’s Trover Books. The year prior it was Olsson’s Bookstore, which had five area locations. One local favorite that was spared was Politics & Prose, which announced last March that it had found a buyer.

As the Georgetown Metropolitan’s Topher Matthews wrote after Barnes & Noble announced it was closing, the loss wouldn’t just be of a bookstore, but rather a valuable “third space” where people could come and gather. Of course, with the advent of e-readers and people’s changing shopping habits, Barnes & Noble couldn’t just sink money into the expensive space just for the sake of a local third space. (During my grad school days and after landing my first job — based in Georgetown — I spent countless hours in the place. Where else could I read US Weekly and Harpers?)

According to Matthews, a Nike store may be taking over the space.