Barnes & Noble Is Opening More Stores Than It Has in Over a Decade
Updated: May 02, 2023
Book lovers rejoice! Barnes and Noble is making a comeback.
In recent years, more and more companies have been shuttering their brick-and-mortar stores. That trend has been especially true for bookstores which have struggled to compete with Amazon. While some booksellers have gone out of business entirely, others, including Barnes and Noble, have managed to hang on. And though they’ve closed over 100 stores in the last 15 years, Barnes and Noble is ready to make a comeback.
The company has announced plans to open 30 new stores in 2023, which means you’ll no longer have to compulsively check your mailbox for the latest BookTok books on your TBR list. Instead, you’ll be able to hop in your car and go get the books you want when you want them.
Where are the stores opening?
Add Boston to the list of best cities for book lovers because Barnes and Noble has already opened two new locations in that area and has plans to open another four storefronts throughout Massachusetts. Northern Virginia is slated to get a new store that will be one of the largest the company has opened in a decade, while Connecticut’s Danbury Square location is set to relocate to a new space occupying 19,000 square feet.
Though the company has yet to announce all of the upcoming locations, they did confirm that some of its new storefronts used to be Amazon bookshops. Talk about an ironic plot twist! And if your area isn’t on the list, you can visit the most loved bookstore in your state instead.
What changes has Barnes and Noble made?
If you’ve been to a Barnes and Noble in recent years, you might have noticed the sheer amount of stuff for sale. And no, we’re not just talking about books. They’ve sold everything from toys and trinkets to craft kits and home decor. We even purchased a raincoat in a Florida Barnes and Noble! Well, those days are gone. New stores will take design cues from independent bookstores.
Shoppers can expect brighter spaces and thematic nooks—think entire store sections dedicated to dark academia, fantasy or Colleen Hoover novels—that encourage them to linger and explore. Stores will also have more leeway in terms of which books they sell. In other words, stores have the ability to order books that readers in their area want to see as opposed to stocking what publishers want to be displayed.
You can stay on top of current and new locations along with store events by using the Barnes and Noble store finder tool.
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Originally Published: March 16, 2023
