More on the move of Barnes & Noble in Westport, Conn.: the bookseller's new location, at 76 Post Road East in downtown, will open on February 24, the Connecticut Post reported. The new store, in a former Restoration Hardware that was built in 1916 as a movie theater, is 10,000 square feet, about half the size of the B&N that closed late last year in the Post Plaza shopping center, several miles away.
"With modern, bespoke shelving and the exceptionally attractive interior of the old Restoration Hardware store with which to work, we expect to have a comparable range of books to the old store," B&N said. "The main difference is that we will not have an in-store café, at least at the outset of opening. We decided on this given the proximity of other cafes and wishing to keep a full range of toys, games, puzzles and stationery alongside our books." About a dozen employees will work at the new store, some of whom worked at the former location.
Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe said, "Westporters are book readers, and they love a good bookstore. I think being located downtown will draw more people into the downtown area. Hopefully they'll not just shop at Barnes & Noble, but will also take the opportunity to shop at some of the other stores downtown and maybe even get a bite to eat at one of the great restaurants in that immediate area."