Barnes & Noble will open 60 new bookstores in 2025, breaking last year’s record as bookstore revival ramps up

January was a long month, but we finally have some good news in 2025: Bookseller Barnes & Noble plans to open at least 60 new stores this year, topping last year’s record of 57 stores and marking a steady revival of its brick-and-mortar bookstores across the country.

“[Barnes & Noble] is experiencing strong sales in its existing stores and has been opening many new stores after more than 15 years of declining store numbers,” the company told Fast Company. “In 2024, Barnes & Noble opened more new bookstores in a single year than it had in the whole decade from 2009 to 2019 . . . [The company] is enjoying a period of tremendous growth as the strategy to hand control of each bookstore to its local booksellers has proven so successful.”

As Fast Company previously reported, after more than a decade of shuttering locations, ultimately closing 150 locations, the chain started ramping up again in 2023 with some 30 new stores, then opened another 57 stores last year alone.

Some of the new stores that will be opening this year will be in prime retail locations, like a new D.C. flagship store in upscale Georgetown.

2025 marks a new era for Barnes & Noble and other bookstores thanks to a few factors, including digital fatigue, TikTok’s #BookTok, the loneliness epidemic, and a rise in so-called ‘third spaces’ (more on that below).

But first, here’s a list of the cities and states where Barnes and Noble will be opening new locations in 2025.

New Barnes & Noble locations already open in 2025

• Bellevue, WA
• Town & Country, TX
• Naples, FL
• Superior, CO
• Brentwood, CA

Barnes & Noble locations yet to open in 2025

Barnes & Noble told Fast Company the chain also currently has 37 leases signed for upcoming stores in the following states:

• California
• Florida
• Colorado
• Texas
• Washington
• Pennsylvania
• Ohio
• Virgina
• New York
• Nebraska
• Michigan
• Illinois
• Connecticut
• Arizona
• New Hampshire
• Maryland
• Kansas

Barnes & Noble also added that it has a number of other leases in the works. It did not offer a timeline for when its new locations will open.

Why is there a bookstore revival?

While it might seem counterintuitive in this age of digital consumption, when people are often buried in their phones, bookstores and books are actually making a comeback.

One major reason is the rise of TikTok’s community of avid readers, #BookTok, which has been credited with helping authors sell millions of books, and has evolved into one of the more popular corners of the platform, with creators making videos of book hauls, reviews, and bookcase setups, and swapping recommendations.

“Since the rise of BookTok during the pandemic, bookstores have seen a significant surge in popularity, especially among young people,” Barnes & Noble told Fast Company. “Our stores have become popular social spots, offering an experience that online shopping simply can’t match.”

There’s also a recent rise in third spaces, which are gathering places outside of work and home where people can go to be around other people or meet friends, like coffee shops, bars, and gyms.

With loneliness and isolation at an all-time high, people are returning to these third spaces, including bookstores because they are free and safe environments stocked with reading material, and often coffee—which draws in more visitors (this is why many newer bookstores have added coffee areas and made the space more inviting).

Bookstores also offer a way to be around like-minded people who have similar interests. That’s why, around the country, niche bookstores—romance bookstores in particular—are also booming. In fact, more than 20 have opened in the last few years, up from just two in 2020.

One of those is Lovestruck Books, which just opened smack in the center of Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The delightfully decorated store has over 12,000 books, in addition to a retail area with candles, tea, stationery, and a George Howell Coffee shop. (Author’s note: Yes, I’ll admit that I’ve been there—and ended up staying for an hour. I highly recommend finding a bookstore near you!)

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