Barnes & Noble returns to downtown Seattle after 5-year absence

Barnes & Noble announced it will open a new flagship store in downtown Seattle as part of a massive expansion effort that will open 60 new locations across the U.S. in 2026.

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 opens new Seattle location in 2026

Seattle’s new Barnes & Noble will occupy 17,538 square feet inside the 29-story tower at the corner of Pike Street and 6th Avenue, featuring classic offerings like books, toys, games, magazines, and more.

Since January, Barnes & Noble has opened several WA locations in Bellevue, Issaquah, Lakewood, Puyallup, and the University District.

The company cited that 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.

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