Barnes & Noble will open new stores next Wednesday, in Chicago, Ill., and in Sandy, Utah.
The Chicago store is located at 651 West Diversey Parkway, in a space that formerly housed an Urban Outfitters. Author Jeneva Rose will be on hand at 10 a.m. Wednesday for a ribbon cutting and signing of her newest book, Home Is Where the Bodies Are (Blackstone).
The Diversey Parkway store replaces B&N's Clybourn store, which closed after its lease ended in 2023, and some of the former Clybourn booksellers have stayed on to work at the Diversey Parkway location. The company will open another new store, in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood, next month, inside the Noel State Bank building.
The Sandy store, meanwhile, will reside at 10433 S. State St. in the Commons at Southtowne shopping center. Tricia Levenseller, author of Daughter of the Pirate King (Feiwel & Friends), will host the ribbon-cutting ceremony before signing copies of her books.
B&N previously operated a store in the Shops at South Town shopping center in Sandy, which closed last year. The new Sandy location features B&N's updated store design and a cafe.
Including the Sandy and Diversey Parkway stores, B&N will open six new stores this month. The company plans to open more than 50 this year.