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A new Barnes & Noble CEO is encouraging stores to lean into unique looks.

When asked about my hobbies, reading always finds its way to the top of the list. Curling up with a book under a blanket with a cup of Earl Gray is my idea of the perfect afternoon. However, along with the act of reading itself, shopping for the right book is an important experience on its own. 

As the world has moved to digital marketplaces and two-day shipping, physical bookstores have become forgotten. Ten years ago, my after-school hang-out was the neighborhood Barnes & Noble. However, as stores started to shut down and big retailers like Target or Amazon picked up the book-selling slack, I struggled to find comfort in the new Barnes & Noble layouts that became entirely less book-focused. Instead of seeing a table of “Staff Picks” at the front of the door with the best new releases, I was often met with stationary, toys or B&N-branded merchandise. It was a sad attempt to diversify the stock of a store that shouldn’t have to keep up with non-bookstore competitors. Barnes & Noble forgot what it was created for: books. 

Fortunately, Barnes & Noble has begun to revamp their stores following a recent leadership change. The bookstore chain has effectively told their stores to disregard branding and uniformity, encouraging store owners to create unique spaces. The Union Square store has stuck to the old aesthetic, with dark wood shelves and forest green accents, but the Upper West Side location boasts a more modern take on the brand, illuminated by large windows. The lack of uniformity is reminiscent of smaller, local bookstores that have similar charm and character. 

While the unique design is a big part of their new or renovated stores, what also interests me about this strategy is their return to books. Shopping for books is not just a way to acquire your next read. If you are just looking to purchase an item, then the decline of physical bookstores probably didn’t matter much to you. However, for an avid reader like myself, purchasing books is not only an experience but part of the hobby. Being able to walk into a store filled with the thing that excites me most in the world is an incomparable feeling. And to have that excitement never dulled by the interruption of useless trinkets in my immediate sightline is even better. 

Barnes & Noble stores fell victim to the severe commercialization we see plaguing many stores today that struggle to keep up with big-box retailers. It was quite tempting to return to smaller, locally-owned bookstores with the previous downfall of Barnes & Noble. The simplicity of shopping for books was disappearing in the chain, and that same feeling could only be found in tiny, local bookstores that couldn’t compete with the size and selection of Barnes & Noble stores. However, with their revamping, I feel more excited to walk into a Barnes & Noble store and truly feel like I am there for books. For too long, it felt as though books were secondary to the brand. Rarely would I see people perusing the shelves, looking for their next read. Most shoppers at the store were buying stationary and toys, spending fleeting moments in such a vast sea of knowledge and creativity. Now, it finally feels like the brand is returning to the one I grew up with. The one where people could order a coffee and sit for hours in a comfy lounge chair reading their newest buy. Or the one where you could strike up a conversation with the person looking at the shelf next to you and walk out with a stellar recommendation. 

Bookstores are not just for purchasing, but for a moment, Barnes & Noble fell victim to that mindset. The goal of trying to get people in and out of the store as quickly as possible and spending as much money as possible overshadowed why people loved the store in the first place. I don’t love Barnes & Noble just for the books because if I did, I would just go on Amazon and order it online. Waking up on a chilly Sunday morning, throwing on a scarf and a jacket, and taking the train to the nearest Barnes & Noble is a day-long activity that I wholeheartedly look forward to. Walking through the endless shelves with a hot drink in hand is a euphoric feeling that simply cannot be replaced by a click on a computer. Barnes & Noble is ensuring that buying a book is not just a purchase anymore but an experience to embrace.