Bookseller Bookland, which has been a staple in the Vicksburg Mall for almost 18 years, is closing, mall manager Mike Carlisle said.

He said officials with Books-A-Million, Bookland’s parent company, told mall officials early in December they would be closing the store in January.

“They said they would be closing Bookland Jan. 24 and be out of the space by the 31st,” he said. He added Books-A-Million did not give a reason for closing its Vicksburg outlet.

Bookland manager Vince Genova referred all questions about the closing to Books-A-Million’s corporate offices in Birmingham, Ala. Attempts to contact Christine Corbett with Books-A-Million’s corporate operations division were unsuccessful. A voice mail answering her extension said she was unavailable.

Carlisle said Bookland had been in the mall since 1997.

“I hate to see Bookland leave, they were a great tenant,” he said. “They did a lot of good things for the community with their book drive, their coffee for soldiers. They had teacher discounts.”

He said mall officials are currently negotiating with three companies to come to the mall. Two of those, he said, are national retailers, while the third is a franchise.

He said the vacancy created by Bookland’s departure could play a part in the companies’ decisions.

“If it all goes down and all three decide to come in, that space would play a part.” He said mall officials could know something about the companies in the next 30 to 60 days.