Barnes & Noble Opens New Store in Abilene

 Barnes & Noble is thrilled to announce the opening of its new Abilene, TX bookstore on Wednesday, July 23^rd. The new Barnes & Noble will offer close to 20,000 square feet of books, toys, games, magazines, gift items and more, as well as a B&N Café. The new Abilene Barnes & Noble is located in the Shops at Abilene (3417 Catclaw Dr, Abilene, TX 79606), next to Michaels, in the space formerly occupied by Bed, Bath & Beyond.

The new Barnes & Noble bookstore will officially open to the public at 10AM CDT on Wednesday the 23^rd, with bestselling author Monica Garner cutting the ribbon and signing copies of her book, Summer on Cape May.

“We are very pleased to open this beautiful new Barnes & Noble in Abilene,” said James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble. “Texas hosts more Barnes & Noble bookstores than any other state — and yet the nearest to Abilene is over 150 miles away. We are proud to add Abilene to the new fleet of Barnes & Noble bookstores we are opening across the country.”

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 bookseller is experiencing strong sales in its existing stores and has been opening many new stores after more than 15 years of declining store numbers. In 2024, Barnes & Noble opened more new bookstores in a single year than it had in the whole decade from 2009 to 2019. The bookseller expects to open over 60 new bookstores in 2025.

The Abilene location is one of seven new Barnes & Noble bookstores set to open in July, alongside new stores in Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Virginia, Seattle and Washington. Each grand opening has drawn enthusiastic crowds that wrap around the building, filling the store as the ribbon is cut.

The design of the Abilene store showcases the ambition of Barnes & Noble to create exceptional local bookstores that marry the best traditions of independent bookselling with the resources of the historic chain. The new Abilene Barnes & Noble will cover over 20,000 square feet and carry all the best books, as well as a wide range of toys, games and the usual paper and gifting items found at Barnes & Noble.

“The wait is finally over, and I’m excited for our customers who have been patient with us all this time,” said Store Manager Erin Simpson, Barnes & Noble bookseller of 21 years. “For more than twenty years I’ve been meeting readers who ask, "when are you opening a Barnes & Noble in Abilene" and now I finally get to give our Abilene customers the experience they expect right here at home.”

Customers can discover more about upcoming events and news by following @bnabilenetx on social media.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest retail bookseller in the United States. The Company has more than 670 bookstores across the United States, as well as its online bookstore at bn.com, the Nook Digital business which offers both e-books and an audio book subscriptions service, the SparkNotes educational service, and stationery and gift retailer Paper Source. General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be found on the Company’s website at www.bn.com.