Bookstores

Costco has stopped selling books in Hawaii and Alaska, Honolulu Civil Beat reports. The company told publishers that shipping costs were the a reason to stop selling outside of the contiguous US, but that doesn’t account for sales or returns from local distributors and publishers, who benefitted from the discoverability of the warehouse’s book sections for both residents and tourists. “We knew Costco had the ability to reach a broader market and as a result we’d print a wider selection of books and high print runs,” said Buddy Bess, publisher of Hawaiian publisher Bess Press. “Without that widespread distribution, it […]

Barnes & Noble will open a new store in The Festival at Woodholme shopping center in Pikesville, MD on October 19, down the street from the retailer’s current much-larger location, which will close on October 18.

For the eleventh year, Penguin Random House resumes their 2-Day holiday transit program on October 15, running through January 31, 2023. As introduced last year, the program includes a “no minimums” requirement for independent bookstores. President, US Sales Jaci Updike says in the announcement, “In this time of ever-rising freight costs and ongoing shipping-company challenges, we remain steadfastly committed to independent booksellers in the all-important final months of the year.”

Barnes & Noble is reopening a location in the Westfield Old Orchard shopping center in Skokie, IL a year after it closed its store there for redevelopment of the building. Opening November 16, the new store will have a smaller footprint than the old store — still a substantial 20,000 square feet, but that compares to the former’s 45,000 square feet. And a portion of that space, on the first floor, will include a Paper Source stationery store (the line also owned by BN’s owner Elliott Management.) CEO James Daunt said in a statement, “Old Orchard was one of the […]

After 20 years at the location, Barnes & Noble will relocate its Court Street bookstore in Brooklyn, NY to a former Barney’s location at 194 Atlantic Avenue. The bookseller’s lease on the current space expires at the end of the year, and the company “is ensuring a timely transition from Court Street to its new store.”  

Barnes & Noble will fill two small footprint former Amazon Books locations near Boston, after Amazon decided to close its physical retailers this year. B&N outlets will open in Legacy Place mall in Dedham, MA  on November 18 and MarketStreet mall in Lynnfield, MA later in November. The company has touted a plan to open 16 new bookstores in 2022, though many of those have been smaller, replacement stores in areas where older stores were closed. They say they have “a further 30 new stores in active planning for 2023.” “A few years back it would have been unthinkable for […]