Bookstores

In New York, Barnes & Noble will open their 8,000-square-foot Upper East Side bookstore at Third Avenue and 87th Street on July 12, and a 9,000-square-foot store in the Bridgehampton Commons is expected to open in October. A BN in Lewisville, TX will close on May 21, where it has operated for 28 years, after the landlord declined to renew the lease.

Novelist and Parnassus Books owner Ann Patchett has announced the store’s acquisition of Hooks Book Events, “a provider of nonfiction book and author programs for businesses and organizational teams.” Located in Nashville, Parnassus has been a retail partner of the company since 2012, fulfilling orders for events. Hooks Book Events “serves clients across the country, including Fortune 500 companies, federal government agencies, and nonprofits.” Patchett said in a release, “I’ve worked with Perry and Hooks Book Events for years, both as an author and as a bookseller, and I’ve seen this company fill an important role in the business community. […]

The PR campaign is all about Barnes & Noble’s big “expansion” of the store base, but the actual news continues to present a more nuanced picture of stores that are being closed or swapped out, along with new locations. The latest outlet to be surrendered is in Highland Village, TX, where they are giving way for a Cheesecake Factory. A spokesperson tells the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “We are actively looking for a new location and hope to find one soon.” In Redding, CA, the chain will be switching locations. Unlike many other replacement stores, this one will be larger than […]

The bookseller opens two new replacement stores next week. A 20,000-square-foot store in Danbury, CT relocates the chain from Danbury Square to Danbury Fair Mall, where a store was based for 32 years. In Philadelphia, a Center City store on Chestnut Street takes over from the recently-closed Rittenhouse Square store, in a space that is about 5,000 square feet smaller. The new store does not have a cafe, or a public restroom. But all BN locations with cafes will be getting the Just Egg vegan breakfast sandwich starting April 10, “for a limited time.” The sandwich features “mung bean-based Just […]

Barnes & Noble expects to open a new 8,000-square-foot store in Wareham Crossing in Wareham, MA, scheduled to open on June 14. Independent bookstore Anodyne Book Shop opens this week in Searsport, ME. And Foggy Pine Books in Boone, NC will close on April 15.  

Alexander Book Company, in downtown San Francisco, will close on April 30, after 32 years. They write on their website, “Alexander Book Company has had a great run, but we’ve finally reached the last chapter.” All books are currently 25 percent off. The San Francisco Standard writes that the pandemic and subsequent shift to remote work “clobbered” the downtown area. The Alexander Book Company particularly catered to office workers, with a nine to five schedule and closure on the weekends. Also closing on April 30, is Eastwind Books of Berkeley, an Asian American bookshop that has operated for more than […]