My Northwest: Barnes & Noble returning to downtown Seattle with new store opening next month

This story was originally published by My Northwest on April 28, 2026.

By Jason Sutich

Barnes & Noble will open a new flagship store in downtown Seattle on May 6 as part of a massive expansion that will add 60 new locations across the U.S. in 2026.

The store’s grand opening will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony and book signing with fantasy author Robin Hobb at 9 a.m. inside the new building, according to The Seattle Times.

The new Seattle location will be at 520 Pike Street and will be the first downtown Barnes & Noble store since the Pacific Place location closed in 2020.

“Barnes & Noble’s return to downtown Seattle is enormous. When a national retailer returns to downtown, it’s an indicator of confidence in our center city and the strength of our retail trade area,” Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) president and CEO Jon Scholes said, according to FOX 13.

Barnes & Noble signed a 10-year agreement for the location, which now represents the largest retail lease in downtown Seattle since 2020, according to the DSA.

Barnes & Noble opens new Seattle location in May

Seattle’s new Barnes & Noble will occupy 17,538 square feet in the 29-story tower at the corner of Pike Street and 6th Avenue, featuring its vast collection of books alongside toys, games, magazines, and more.

Since January, Barnes & Noble has opened several locations in Washington, including Bellevue, Issaquah, Lakewood, Puyallup, and Seattle’s University District.

The company said the decision to expand with 60 new locations in 2026 follows a period of strong sales from existing Barnes & Noble stores.

“Barnes & Noble is enjoying a period of tremendous growth as the strategy to hand control of each bookstore to its local booksellers has proven so successful,” the bookstore chain said in a statement. “In 2024, Barnes & Noble opened more new bookstores in a single year than it had in the whole decade from 2009 to 2019.”

Several locations have already been confirmed, including bookstores in Ohio, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Colorado, California, Virginia, Georgia, and D.C., which are all slated to open before June 2026, according to USA Today.