It had been six months in October since I moved to Farmville. There is a lot I love here, but I have my moments when it comes to homesickness. When the going gets rough, I’ve found myself going to the Barbara Rose Johns Farmville-Prince Edward County Library, Uptown Coffee Cafe or the Barnes & Noble at Longwood on a few occassions.

Seeing books that I’ve meant to read, books that I’ve discussed with my family or a book one of my friends would love connects me with a sense of home that can be difficult to find during other times.

Owners of the Barnes & Noble at Longwood’s new location on 200 N. Main St., a collaboration between town and Longwood organizations, are making a concentrated effort to make the store feel like home to everyone.

A preserved vault, left from a series of banks that had been located at the building, is evident of the respect owners have had in maintaining the site’s history. It also makes for a pretty cool meeting place.

Another change from the bookstore’s previous location is that the cafe is now at the forefront, set with a series of tables, chairs and reading areas. Material for the university, including textbooks, are available in an expanded room in the back of the location, which can be accessed by both stairs and an elevator.

Store Manager Amber Clark said the store is one of the few Barnes & Noble College bookstores in the U.S. that is located off campus.

The bookstore seems to be a valuable venue to meet the needs of students, faculty and community members, to give them another cozy place in town to go when the going gets chilly, a sense of home.

EMILY HOLLINGSWORTH is a staff writer for The Farmville Herald and Farmville Newsmedia LLC. Her email address is Emily.Hollingsworth@FarmvilleHerald.com.