Love is in the air for bibliophiles everywhere as Barnes & Noble announces plans to open 60 new stores in 2025.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt revealed the ambitious expansion plans, which will surpass last year’s record of 57 and mark a steady revival of the brick-and-mortar bookseller nationwide.
Recently opened stores include a flagship in Washington DC’s Georgetown neighborhood, with more stores slated for New York, Florida, California, and beyond.
“Barnes & Noble has always been a social hub, but it became even more so after the pandemic. Many readers were looking for a place to spend time and connect with other people in their community,” a representative for Barnes & Noble told People.
“Our bookstores became a safe and welcoming space to meet up with friends and explore the stacks. Many stores have opted to feature BookTok tables and have grown some extensive graphic novels and manga sections and have truly become a go-to destination for kids and teenagers to gather after school.”
The announcement comes as independent bookstores experience a wave of new openings across the country, especially after a tough stretch for the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The American Booksellers Association reported that their membership grew by over 200 in 2024, per the Associated Press, with more than 190 independent bookstores set to open within the next two years.
“Indie bookstores have been a cornerstone of their communities, acting as third spaces for decades, “Courtney Ulrick Smith, the owner of Underbrush Books in Rogers Ark, told People.
“Many, if not all, provide free programming, educational resources, and safe, welcoming spaces for all folks – this is particularly important for younger readers, who need the encouragement and support of adults to continue fostering their love of reading.”
And young readers are coming out in full force. One reason bookstores like Barnes & Noble have been making a major comeback is the popularity of BookTok, the reading community on TikTok, which has been credited for driving book sales since the pandemic.
The hashtag #BookTok has racked up over 40 million posts, and as its influence grows, so does its impact on physical bookstores.
Shannon DeVito, head of books at Barnes & Noble, notes that while the trend has reignited a love for reading, its most significant effect has been shaping what titles stores keep on their shelves.
“A lot of stores took advantage of the heyday of BookTok and created tables and specific displays of varying sizes because they had that flexibility, which is another beautiful thing about the stores really determining their own destiny,” she said.
It’s also driving foot traffic to stores. Kendra Keeter-Gray, a BookTok content creator with over 100,000 followers, told CNN that she and her friends spend hours inside Barnes & Noble, usually in the BookTok section, where they trade recommendations and flip through currently trending novels.
“When you go to Barnes, it’s almost like an excursion. I would equate it to when I was little, and my parents would take me to Six Flags,” she said.
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Barnes & Noble has also tapped into BookTok’s fandom by hosting community events from costume competitions to midnight release shindigs.
“Stores are deciding to do events for their area where we’re seeing turnouts of hundreds of people for book releases,” DeVito said. “It’s really pushed a level of excitement around book releases that frankly hasn’t been here since Harry Potter.”
But more than that, the revival of Barnes & Noble reaffirms the company’s belief that the demand for physical books is still alive and well—not to mention acts as a powerful symbol of literary resilience, especially with book banning reaching a crisis level in the United States.
According to PEN America, a nonprofit that champions free expression by advocating for literature and human rights, schools have seen a 200% uptick in the banning of books, with titles by Black authors being disproportionately targeted. This translates to roughly 10,000 books between 2023 and 2024.
“There is always something that happens that is supposed to be the harbinger of the death of books. But what we’re seeing now, and especially with young people leading the charge, is the exact opposite,” said Lisa Bloom, a BookTok creator and self-proclaimed advocate for American literature.
“Even as Congress pushes for censorship, I believe the future of literature is bright, which isn’t something I could have said a few years ago.”
