When one door closes, another opens — sometimes right down the street.
The two-story Barnes & Noble bookstore on Court Street in Brooklyn Heights will close its doors for the last time on January 17 after 20 years in business, but bookworms need not fear — the store is just relocating a few blocks over to Atlantic Avenue in Cobble Hill, where a brand-new book haven will open on January 18 in the storefront formerly occupied by defunct luxury retailer Barneys New York.
“We have had a very happy 20 years at Court Street and are pleased to be able to continue our bookselling traditions in the Cobble Hill community,” said Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt in a statement. “It is an exceptionally happy turn of events that we are inheriting the beautiful space that Barneys created, and we are excited to show residents our brand-new bookstore. Store Manager Yinam Chung and his experienced team of booksellers have been hard at work getting their new store ready and are very much looking forward to welcoming the community.”
The Barnes & Noble store at 106 Court Street closed January 10. Photo by Susan De Vries
The Court Street store’s lease expired last year, and, rather than renewing it for a decade or two, Daunt and the team decided to shift the store into the “beautiful” empty storefront at 194 Atlantic Avenue, right next to the Trader Joe’s store on Court Street. Barneys vacated the 11,000-square-foot space in 2019, as department stores and large brick-and-mortar retailers all over the country struggled. Locals waited anxiously to see what, if anything, would eventually move into the cavernous storefront — which is a perfect fit for Barnes & Noble’s thousands of books.
Author Hernan Diaz will join the staff for the ribbon-cutting ceremony next week and will kick off the new store’s first event: a signing of his new book, “Trust,” immediately afterward.
Almost everything in the new store will be familiar to dedicated Barnes & Noble shoppers — the staff, the selection, the cozy atmosphere — but the company is using the relocation opportunity to revamp the store’s design, as it has the most new locations. Out are the old carpets and dark wooden columns, in are warm wooden floors and sleek bookshelves and furniture.
The Court Street location offered some discounts before closing. Photo by Susan De Vries
“We are so glad to be moving a short distance and to such a beautiful new store,” said store manager Yinam Chung, a Barnes & Noble book seller of 12 years, in a statement. “We have had many years of fond memories in Court Street, with author events, book signings and, of course, storytimes, and are looking forward to bringing that same energy and event line-up to Atlantic Avenue. We cannot wait to build new memories with this wonderful community.”
Cobble Hill and the surrounding nabes are rich with bookstores, be they independent or corporate. In addition to the sprawling Barnes & Noble, Cobble Hill is home to the flagship Books Are Magic bookstore. Last fall, Books Are Magic opened a second location on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights. Indie bookseller Greenlight Bookstore has two locations in Brooklyn, one in Fort Greene and one in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, and the new Troubled Sleep offers used books and music in Park Slope.
The new Barnes & Noble will open its doors at 194 Atlantic Avenue, close to the intersection of Court Street, at 9 am on Wednesday, January 18.
Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in Brooklyn Paper. Click here to see the original story.
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