4 years after closing, Barnes & Noble returns to Edgewood
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Barnes & Noble will return to Atlanta's Edgewood neighborhood with a store opening July 8. Photo: Courtesy of Barnes & Noble
Four years after closing its store in Edgewood, Barnes & Noble will re-establish its presence in the east-side neighborhood with a new store.
Why it matters: The reopening is part of Barnes & Noble's plan to open dozens of stores this year across the country.
The latest: Barnes & Noble will open at 10am Wednesday, July 8, in more than 15,000 square feet in the Edgewood Retail District at 1205 Caroline St.
- Atlanta author Tayari Jones will cut the ribbon at the grand opening and sign copies of her latest novel, "Kin."
Zoom in: According to a Barnes & Noble press release, the store will also offer games, magazines and a café.
- It's one of three stores planned for the Atlanta area. Over the next several months, Barnes & Noble intends to open a shop in Peachtree Corners and the Toco Hills area in DeKalb County.
Catch up quick: Barnes & Noble closed its Edgewood store in April 2022.
- That was followed by the 2024 closure of its Morrow location and the announcement last month that its location near Cumberland Mill in Cobb County will close after 30 years.
- The Cumberland store's last day is Aug. 19.
- Barnes & Noble has one other store in Atlanta: the Buckhead location in The Peach shopping center that it anchors with Publix.
- It also has a store at the Perimeter Station shopping center in Dunwoody.
What they're saying: "With three new stores opening in and around Atlanta over the next several months, it is a very busy time for our booksellers," Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt said in a statement.
- Daunt added that the company wants to relocate its Cumberland store after its current location closes.
- "We will have more stores open in Atlanta at the end of the year than we did at the beginning," he said.
- Edgewood store manager LaNisha Bates said she's excited to return to the community. She started her career with Barnes & Noble at the original store over 13 years ago.
- "With over 50 years of combined book-selling experience, my team and I are looking forward to returning to Edgewood and rebuilding our presence."
The big picture: Barnes & Noble said it now has more than 700 brick-and-mortar locations, up from fewer than 600 stores in 2023. It plans to open 60 stores this year, according to its press release.
- Its revival comes after "more than 15 years of declining store numbers" and stiff competition from online big-box retailers like Amazon that sell hardcover, paperback and e-books.