New Hampshire is Getting a New Barnes and Noble Bookstore

Remember when Barnes and Noble bookstores started shuttering left and right 10 years ago? It felt like the death of the physical book.

Then, last year, the company opened 57 new stores. According to the Fast Company website, it opened more stores in 2024 than it did between 2009 and 2019.

Now, it's going to top that with 60 new bookstores, including New Hampshire. While there's already a Barnes and Noble in Seabrook, Portsmouth, Nashua, Manchester, and Salem, you can now add Keene to that list.

Are you so excited? While you may be like me and prefer to support local bookstores in New Hampshire, Boston, Portsmouth, or Portland, there's something to be said about knowing that the physical book continues to make its comeback.

Literally flipping through the pages, seeing your favorite books on your bookshelf or your bedside table. That new book smell is everything, too.

According to the Barnes and Noble website, the bookstore's grand opening is planned for May at the Monadnock Marketplace on 32 Ash Brook Road.

According to Fast Company, New Hampshire is just one of 17 states with grand openings this year. Connecticut is the only other state in New England that will see new Barnes and Noble bookstores.

New York is on the 2025 list as well.

[Barnes & Noble] is experiencing strong sales in its existing stores and has been opening many new stores after more than 15 years of declining store numbers. [The company] is enjoying a period of tremendous growth as the strategy to hand control of each bookstore to its local booksellers has proven so successful.

Barnes and Noble says #BookTok on TikTok is a big reason for the return of their stores and the love for reading physical books.