A longtime Bay Area bookseller announced Wednesday that it would be acquired by bookstore giant Barnes & Noble, allowing it to keep its nine stores open after filing for bankruptcy earlier this year.

Books Inc., which has been a staple brick-and-morter bookstore in the Bay Area for more than 150 years, asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California to approve its sale to BI Acquisition Co., a Barnes and Noble affiliate, for $3.25 million.

If the deal is approved, Books Inc. stores in San Francisco, the East Bay and on the Peninsula will get to keep their recognizable name, but have the resources of the larger corporation, according to CEO Andy Perham.

“This agreement will ensure that Book Inc.’s legacy will continue for the foreseeable future,” Perham said in

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