Photos Saturday by Stacie Joy
H/T EVG reader Russell K
A Reddit user found a notice for the new store, set to open in November, on the Barnes & Noble website.
We reached out to Barnes & Noble for comments, though didn't hear back yet over the holiday weekend.
News of this arrival coincides with crews removing layers of wheatpaste posters from the vacant Avenue A retail space on Saturday...
The 11,000-square-foot retail space at the base of Steiner East Village has been vacant since residents began moving into the condoplex eight years ago.
There are also approved work permits dated May 13 for "retail space electrical service and AC wiring."
Meanwhile, despite years of store closures and hand-wringing about the future of bookstores, Barnes & Noble is in expansion mode.
As reported by USA Today this past December, the chain plans to open 60 new stores in 2026 following what company officials described as strong sales at existing locations. The expansion marks a turnaround after nearly two decades of declining store numbers, with the company already opening dozens of locations in 2025.
The EV outpost will not replace the Union Square B&N, though it will likely alleviate some of its congestion.
A rent increase forced B&N to close at 4 Astor Place in December 2007 after 13 years in operation.
Not everyone's on the same page
Reaction to the news of a Barnes & Noble opening on Avenue A has been mostly positive so far — though not without some concern about what it could mean for independent bookstores nearby.
In the lively Reddit thread, several commenters said they were excited to have a large bookstore in the neighborhood again, especially given the recent resurgence of Barnes & Noble locations across the city.
Others pointed out that the East Village already has a strong network of indie bookstores and worried about bringing another national chain into the neighborhood.
A few people also expressed cautious optimism, saying they hoped a bookstore, chain or not, would be preferable to another bank, smoke shop, fast-casual salad spot, or continued vacant storefront.
We'll see what November will bring, though it seems like an ambitious timeline for a completely raw space...
50 comments:
I am happy to have a big beautiful Barnes & Noble on the block and will welcome them to the neighborhood, but I will continue to shop local and support the network of indie bookstores that we are lucky enough to have here in the East Village, including the incoming one on 11th and B; I am looking forward to the opening of that store too!
I'll gladly and happily buy from the independent bookstore opening in what was the 7/11 location, but Barnes & Noble? Never again---AI bound in books IS NOT WHAT CONSUMERS AND READERS WANT. Your CEO is nuts for pushing SLOP. Get real, B & N. People still read here and do not want shit shoved down our throats. And the Steiner folks? They get now reward here. They are HORRIBLE neighbors with their poor door and inability to clean up that mess until they hooked a cash cow for the corner. Just disgusting all the way around. SO yeah, happy that the endless ads are gone, but saddened that we are getting a bookseller that apparently LOST ITS SOUL AND FORGOT WHY THE FUCK PEOPLE READ IN THE FIRST PLACE. Answer: It's not for AI slop.
That space has been empty for 10 years. Let’s see if this actually halpens
I have no issue with this versus small independent bookstores. However, as my wife pointed out, if they carry things like the U.S. branch, toys and gifts, possible theft issues. And Astor Place was a major commercial hub. This location, not sure. We shall see.
Wish it were the Strand instead,,,,,,,,,,,
Barnes and Nobles on Ave A? WTF is happening to this hood of ours? I did always wonder how residents felt about paying so much money to live in this gorgeous building for years yet the first floor is unsightly and horrific. There should be a gym or a restaurant in lieu of a major retailer. Independent bookstores are the backbone of our community. I haven't purchased anything from B & R since I graduated college in 2012.
I think this is great. Wish it would have gone in the new Sephora space instead. Hate looking at that store there.
Sad to think of the competition for the small bookstores nearby.
I have no problem hopping on the M8 to hit the Strand!
With how large that retail space is, could've been a LOT worse. We weren't getting a local business in there.
On Avenue A more corporate shit wild af
Everyone said the same thing about Target when they opened. Now everybody loves it.
B&N used to be considered the big bad - I don't really think it's that anymore. Especially with the rise of amazon. It started turning around to actually embrace selling books again (not knicknacks etc). I don't really see our smaller bookstores and a B&N hitting the same customer base.
I grew up going to the Astor Place B&N and had really great memories there.
I greatly prefer B&N to most other options that could go in there. Unless it was going to be a grocery store, I think all the other options would have been pretty bad.
It's been (mostly) empty since it was built and I'm happy it's being filled with a non dystopian type of business.
Right, we knew it'd be a chain corporation. This at least adds something. The flea market was nice but that parking lot was never going to last.
As others have mentioned, I’d rather have a store that sold leprechauns, pony’s or unicorns, but I guess I will settle for this.
I swear the city is planning to turn Avenue A and 14th into a commercial hub. The first sign may have been Steiner itself, and the ridiculously named EVGB, and Target, and then came the L train entrances at Avenue A and the sweep of the 14th Street pandemic-era street seller mess after that guy got murdered, immediately followed by the city's official "14th Street Plan." There are events at 1st Ave and Ave C that also feed into this. I'm telling you all, the Upper East Village is about to get Meatpacked.
Since when is Sephora worse than B & R?
I’m amazed they were able to clean off all the windows and get the paint off the building. We really need to have a crack down on people that tag people’s properties.
I’ll take a bookstore, albeit a chain, versus yet another bar on Avenue A any day of the week.
There are a lot of local bookstores, including some new ones, that this definitely is concerning for. But B&N has refocused to selling books again, not knick-knacks. They let local managers decided what books to feature, not publishing companies. And that's helped their turnaround. I think there's room for everyone as the city is book-hungry and everyone has their niche.
I kinda like it the way it is. xo, jg
Another coffee place?! I'm only joking of course.
I am not sure how I feel about this - I don’t like chains. However, none of the bookstores in the hood have kids books or trashy beach reads - so this could be nice - if the wait is too long at the library.
To be honest, this is probably one of the best possible outcomes for this space. Yes, there are indie bookstores in the area, but being spoiled for choice for BOOKSTORES is a wonderful problem to have, way better than having another smokeshop or soulless deli that is just a front or a TikTok-trap bar. It's certainly better than the outdoor bed and breakfast for crackheads that it currently is and as a parent I am beyond pleased to have another great rainy day visit spot close by. And no offense to the indies, but sometimes it's nice to walk in a bookstore and not feel pressured to buy something to keep them in business but instead buy something because you actually want it.
To people lamenting the demise of the EV, that train left the station a long time ago. Been here since 1980 and never thought I'd see a 1 bedroom for a million and change on Ave A, but here we are.
Having several bookstores near each other is likely to help all of them. 4th Avenue used to be a books district, the same as the upper 20s are a flower district and 49th Street a diamond district. Just make sure you use the little curated stores whenever they have what you want.
You’re opposed to the train entrances on Avenue A ?
I met someone that lived there when the Building first came up. They told me Appartments are over $1 million and maintenance is $5000 a month all around there
We have no choice in the matter, just like the new Whole Foods market that replaced Associated supermarket. Its god awful and not as good as the old Associated especially the prices, but its cleaner and new look that improves the area. It’s not that these things are not welcome, we are losing affordability cause that rent sure as heck got hiked up and the prices reflect that. We are losing the old neighborhood and its character. I see less families around the neighborhood and more college age folks with extra money to burn.
I didn't say I was opposed to anything while making my observations about pattern recognition. Are you opposed to reading comprehension?
Agreeing with 2:32 that the Stuytown Whole Foods is godawful! It's so, so, SO bad. I feel less alone now.
Hey man I don't think you need to worry about theft for the multi billion dollar corporation I'm pretty sure they pay people to concern themselves with that so you can just take it easy and have a great day!
I do not love Target. Never go there.
Happy to see a book store coming. Beats another deli, pot shop or bar!
Isn’t there also a bookstore opening on 11th & A, in the old 7-11 space?
The wait at the library is unbelievable.
Yes, it will be open a little later in the summer. We'll have a post about it tomorrow.
Places like Book Club Bar seem to have gone to a lot of effort to build community, holding events and readings for people who aren't getting B&N/Strand-level readings, for sure. I think they will hang on. And, let's be real, among the major commercial options for a space that large, this is one of the least obnoxious, (and it's about damn time that space was occupied!). Sucks for the new little place opening up across the street, though.
I think you mean 47th street (between 5th and 6th avenues.)
A lot of commenters in this thread are criticizing Target and Sephora simply due to their corporate presence, yet Barnes & Noble seems to get a pass because it’s “just a bookstore.” That logic feels inconsistent to me.
Wasn’t Barnes & Noble supposedly downsizing after closing numerous locations across the city and nationwide, largely because so many customers shifted to Amazon Prime? If that’s the case, how is the company suddenly in a position to rebrand and take on what must be enormous rent at this location?
The economics of it doesn’t add up. And I say that as someone who wasn’t even a finance or economics major. Can someone please explain how this makes business sense?
I’m trying to think of a better corporate chain that I would not be disgusted with and I only have Aldis . It’s been so long since I have been conscious of chain stores or shopped in one. West Elm? ( can’t afford but like the stuff)
I think it's interesting that they could've chosen to do that regularly and they just...didn't.
You all are crazy, I will take a book store over a bar, restaurant, homeless intake center, NYU dorm or whatever. After 10 years empty, this is great. Plus now you have extra bathrooms that you always complain about
About as good as we could hope for this huge space.
Side note can anyone explain why landlords leave retail empty for years rather than just lease cheap and go upscale later? Is it a writeoff to have an empty space?
My perennial fave bookstore is P&T Knitwear on Orchard Street. (Shout out to @ptknitwear).
I guess that's a no on the roller disco then?. shucks.
B/N is the last thing I would think they would open.
I'm sure corporate has done extensible research. Point-in-fact, Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village has 11,250 units near by. That's a lot of people!
A one bedroom in the building is currently listed at $1,550,000
Isn't the new store at the 7/11 across the street doing the same thing. Books and cafe? Hmm. I bet Steiner gave B&N a low ball rent deal they couldn't refuse. It will be an asset for the hood.... books, coffee, authors' night and... jobs for locals.
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