Six years after closing its longtime downtown Seattle store, Barnes & Noble has been planning a triumphant return to the city center—and we now have an opening date. The new location will open at 520 Pike St., inside a 29-story office tower owned by Tishman Speyer, just a short walk—about four blocks—from Pike Place Market. To mark the occasion, the company has scheduled a grand opening celebration on Wednesday, May 6 at 9 a.m., featuring a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a book signing by bestselling author Robin Hobb, known for Blood of Dragons.
The new store will span 17,538 square feet and offer a wide selection of books along with toys, games, magazines, and gift items. Barnes & Noble has committed to a 10-year lease for the space, making it the largest retail lease signed in downtown Seattle since 2020.
The retailer previously operated a downtown location at Pacific Place, 600 Pine St., for 22 years before closing it in January 2020. Despite that closure, Barnes & Noble has maintained a presence in Seattle with stores in Northgate and University District, as well as several others across Western Washington. This includes a newer store at Bellevue Square that opened in January 2025.
At its height in 2008, Barnes & Noble operated 726 stores nationwide. After facing challenges in the years that followed, the company has experienced a resurgence since the pandemic. It opened nearly 60 new locations in 2024 and added dozens more in 2025. With plans to launch around 60 additional stores this year, Barnes & Noble has once again surpassed 700 locations across the United States.
Looking for more bookstores to visit? Check out our guides to Seattle’s coziest used bookstores, our favorite indie bookstores in Seattle, a new romance bookstore, and the most unique bookstores in Seattle.
