Barnes & Noble returning to downtown Seattle with new store opening next month

Apr 28, 2026, 10:24 AM | Updated: 10:46 am

A general view of the Barnes & Noble Booksellers sign. (Photo: Bruce Bennett, Getty Images)

(Photo: Bruce Bennett, Getty Images)

Content Editor

Barnes & Noble will open a new flagship store in downtown Seattle on May 6 as part of a massive expansion that will add 60 new locations across the U.S. in 2026.

The store’s grand opening will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony and book signing with fantasy author Robin Hobb at 9 a.m. inside the new building, according to The Seattle Times.

The new Seattle location will be at 520 Pike Street and will be the first downtown Barnes & Noble store since the Pacific Place location closed in 2020.

“Barnes & Noble’s return to downtown Seattle is enormous. When a national retailer returns to downtown, it’s an indicator of confidence in our center city and the strength of our retail trade area,” Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) president and CEO Jon Scholes said, according to FOX 13.

Barnes & Noble signed a 10-year agreement for the location, which now represents the largest retail lease in downtown Seattle since 2020, according to the DSA.

Barnes & Noble opens new Seattle location in May

Seattle’s new Barnes & Noble will occupy 17,538 square feet in the 29-story tower at the corner of Pike Street and 6th Avenue, featuring its vast collection of books alongside toys, games, magazines, and more.

Since January, Barnes & Noble has opened several locations in Washington, including Bellevue, Issaquah, Lakewood, Puyallup, and Seattle’s University District.

The company said the decision to expand with 60 new locations in 2026 follows a period of strong sales from existing Barnes & Noble stores.

“Barnes & Noble is enjoying a period of tremendous growth as the strategy to hand control of each bookstore to its local booksellers has proven so successful,” the bookstore chain said in a statement. “In 2024, Barnes & Noble opened more new bookstores in a single year than it had in the whole decade from 2009 to 2019.”

Several locations have already been confirmed, including bookstores in Ohio, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Colorado, California, Virginia, Georgia, and D.C., which are all slated to open before June 2026, according to USA Today.

Follow Jason Sutich on X. Send news tips here.

Lifestyle

Held by owner Christopher Wonder, Little Prince prepares to compete in the World's Ugliest Dog Cont...

Associated Press

Photos show the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest in California

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — The World’s Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Friday. ____ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

5 hours ago

425

Uniqlo Grand Opening in Issaquah — Sales All Weekend

Originally published on 425. Uniqlo hosted the grand opening of its new Issaquah Commons location today — and the lines snaked out the doors with folks waiting in anticipation. The popular Japanese clothing company that offers minimalist styles for the whole family. This is the retailer’s sixth Seattle-area location. This weekend and through Aug. 20, […]

13 hours ago

425

New Mixed-Use Apartment Building Proposed in Bellevue’s Wilburton Neighborhood

Originally published on 425. The city of Bellevue has received applications from American Capital Group for the construction of a new mixed-use apartment building, the Bellevue Downtown Network recently reported. The building — 116th Avenue NE Apartments — would be located in the Wilburton neighborhood at 120 116th Ave. NE, which was the previous site […]

15 hours ago

FILE - A drive-thru coffee and donut shop the Donut Hole is seen in Los Angeles in November 1970. (...

Associated Press

Pull up to the window, please, for a glimpse of an American icon: The drive-thru

WASHINGTON (AP) — Full disclosure: this should really be two tales. How better to pay tribute to the natural and perhaps inevitable combination of two distinctly American icons: fast food and cars? Those two massive sociological forces had already joined up, Voltron-style, early in the 20th century with the development of the drive-in restaurant – […]

16 hours ago

425 Business

Breakthrough Properties Buys Biomanufacturing Campus in Everett, Secures Lease

Originally published on 425 Business. Los Angeles-based Breakthrough Properties, a global life-science real estate developer, today announced it has acquired a biomanufacturing facility at 215 Shuksan Way in Everett and secured a separate 21-year lease for the entire campus with an undisclosed global biopharma company to create a U.S. manufacturing facility. Breakthrough, a joint venture […]

17 hours ago

425 Business

Everett Law Firm Adds New Attorney to Roster

Originally published on 425 Business. Law firm McKinley Irvin has hired attorney Tristen Key to join its Everett office. She brings more than 20 years of family law experience, representing clients throughout Snohomish County and surrounding communities. Key represents clients in divorce, child custody, parenting plans, child support, domestic violence, LGBTQ+ family law, relocation, and […]

18 hours ago