Barnes & Noble to Open Largest Chicago Store in Loop, Following String of Successful Locations
Barnes & Noble is set to open its largest Chicago store, a 30,000-square-foot flagship location in the Loop, later this year. The company's expansion plans have been gaining momentum, with 58 locations opening in 2025 and 60 more planned for this year.
The Loop location will be situated at 150 N. State St., where Old Navy used to reside before closing its doors in 2023. According to Janine Flanigan, vice president of store design, the Chicago market is a crucial one for the bookseller, and they're thrilled to bring their largest store yet to the area.
This isn't the first time Barnes & Noble has made waves in Chicago. The company recently opened two successful locations - one in Wicker Park at the historic Noel State Bank building, and another in Lincoln Park on Clark Street and Diversey Parkway. Flanigan credits these stores with generating a lot of customer feedback and activity.
Other store openings planned for this year include Hyde Park and the Westfield Old Orchard mall in Skokie, both set to open later in February. An Oak Park location is also scheduled for May at 1144 Lake St., the former Marshall Field & Co. building.
The Loop store's design is still in its early stages, with Flanigan noting that it may open in multiple phases. The three-floor location will feature a cafe, although this won't be part of the initial opening phase.
Barnes & Noble's resurgence can be attributed to various factors, including TikTok's "BookTok" trend and changes in company leadership. In 2023 alone, the company launched more new bookstores than it had from 2009 to 2019. Gone are the days of corporate-designed stores with paid spots for books; now, each location gets to choose which titles to feature, making them uniquely tailored to their customers.
"We used to have a very corporate-driven approach," Flanigan said. "The stores looked alike, and there were no personalized touches." Now, it's all about creating an immersive experience that reflects the store's unique personality and resonates with its community.
Barnes & Noble is set to open its largest Chicago store, a 30,000-square-foot flagship location in the Loop, later this year. The company's expansion plans have been gaining momentum, with 58 locations opening in 2025 and 60 more planned for this year.
The Loop location will be situated at 150 N. State St., where Old Navy used to reside before closing its doors in 2023. According to Janine Flanigan, vice president of store design, the Chicago market is a crucial one for the bookseller, and they're thrilled to bring their largest store yet to the area.
This isn't the first time Barnes & Noble has made waves in Chicago. The company recently opened two successful locations - one in Wicker Park at the historic Noel State Bank building, and another in Lincoln Park on Clark Street and Diversey Parkway. Flanigan credits these stores with generating a lot of customer feedback and activity.
Other store openings planned for this year include Hyde Park and the Westfield Old Orchard mall in Skokie, both set to open later in February. An Oak Park location is also scheduled for May at 1144 Lake St., the former Marshall Field & Co. building.
The Loop store's design is still in its early stages, with Flanigan noting that it may open in multiple phases. The three-floor location will feature a cafe, although this won't be part of the initial opening phase.
Barnes & Noble's resurgence can be attributed to various factors, including TikTok's "BookTok" trend and changes in company leadership. In 2023 alone, the company launched more new bookstores than it had from 2009 to 2019. Gone are the days of corporate-designed stores with paid spots for books; now, each location gets to choose which titles to feature, making them uniquely tailored to their customers.
"We used to have a very corporate-driven approach," Flanigan said. "The stores looked alike, and there were no personalized touches." Now, it's all about creating an immersive experience that reflects the store's unique personality and resonates with its community.
i just found out they're opening a huge Barnes & Noble in the Loop!!! 30k sq ft is insane! i'm so stoked they're bringing more book lovers to chicago, esp since their new stores have been popping up all over town. wicker park and lincoln park are already doing great, can't wait to check out this new one too. 
I gotta say, Barnes & Noble is on a roll! 60 new locations this year? That's impressive! And the fact that they're going for a more personalized approach, featuring titles that actually speak to their customers... it just makes sense. I mean, who wants to walk into a cookie-cutter bookstore anymore? The Loop location sounds like it's gonna be a game-changer - three floors of goodness with a cafe on board! And I love how they're listening to customer feedback and responding to the community's needs. That's what it's all about, right? Giving people what they want in a place that feels like home 
. First, they're opening this massive flagship store that'll basically block out Old Navy's empty space... what about the other businesses that got pushed out? 
At least the Wicker Park and Lincoln Park locations were somewhat cool, but now it sounds like the entire city is gonna be filled with NBNs 
. And don't even get me started on how they're just plopping up in Oak Park and Skokie... where's the thought for other communities? 
It feels like they're just buying up every available spot to pad their profits 
I'm so stoked to hear that Barnes & Noble is opening a massive new store in the Loop! It's like they're giving Chicago book lovers the ultimate shopping experience 
. The fact that they got their inspiration from customer feedback and are now making each location unique is totally genius 
. And let's be real, who doesn't love a good BookTok trend? 
I've noticed how much more personal touch there is in these new stores compared to the old corporate-designed ones. It's amazing to see a company adapt and thrive like this! 
Can't wait to check out their flagship store when it opens 
. The fact that it'll have a cafe and an immersive vibe is lit 
. It's cool that they're giving the people more control over which books are featured - I mean, who better to curate than the community itself? 
. It's like Barnes & Noble is finally getting it right after years of struggling. I mean, who doesn't want to walk into a store that feels like their own little book haven? 
. It makes sense why they're killing it with these new openings, especially with the whole BookTok thing 
. That's what I want to see more of in our public spaces! 
. It's about creating an immersive experience that resonates with the community, you know? I'm curious to see how this new Loop location will be designed, especially with a cafe on board! A cafe in a bookstore? Genius 
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