It has been nearly a year-and-a-half since Center City’s new Barnes and Noble store opened and while it has less space than its old Rittenhouse Square location, it has done more sales, writes Jake Blumgart for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The newer Chestnut Street location is designed and curated more to those who most feel the lack of an independent bookstore in Center City.

“I know that my publisher [Scribner] in particular is very excited about this Barnes & Noble, because they see it as having a non-astroturf, actual relationship with the people who live in Philadelphia,” Rachel Kushner, a novelist who recently gave a reading at the store, said.

James Daunt, the CEO who took the company private in 2019, had the vision to give more power to individual managers to set the tone of their stores to reflect their customer bases.

The Center City customer base has wanted more of an emphasis on literary fiction and independent publishers. This has helped fill the void left when longtime Center City bookseller, Joseph Fox, closed due to the pandemic.

More author talks are on the horizon.

“We’re looking into a partnership that would allow us to use a bigger space,” said Lynn Rosen, Barnes & Noble’s Chestnut Street manager said.

Read more about how the void the Barnes & Noble’s Chestnut Street location is filling in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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