Author Gary Soto to Host Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony and Book Signing at the Grand Opening at 9AM on Wednesday, January 31st, 2024
All you readers out there can finally celebrate the opening of a major bookstore in the region.
Barnes & Noble has announced they will open the doors of its new Visalia bookstore on Wednesday, January 31st. The new Barnes & Noble is located in The Sequoia Mall (3415 S Mooney Blvd, Visalia, CA 93277) next to Nordstrom Rack, near Hobby Lobby and Marshalls.
The bookstore will officially open to the public at 9AM PST on Wednesday the 31st, with Gary Soto, author of the children’s book -Puppy Love, cutting the ribbon. The new location showcases the highly lauded bookstore design seen in the most recent Barnes & Noble store openings, housing all the best books, toys, games and gifts that customers have come to expect from the nation’s premier bookseller. The new Visalia bookstore will also feature an updated B&N Café.
“The enduring appeal of real bookstores at a time of tremendous growth in reading means that Barnes & Noble is opening new bookstores at a pace not achieved in decades,” said James Daunt, CEO, Barnes & Noble. “Many of our new bookstores are smaller in size. Not so in Visalia where we open a stunning new store that is as expansive as the grandest of any Barnes & Noble. The glory days of bookstores are back.”
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 enjoying exceptionally strong sales in its existing stores and has been opening many new stores after over 15 years of declining store numbers. In 2023, 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 50 new bookstores in 2024.
The Visalia bookstore is one of two new Barnes & Noble locations to open their doors on the 31st, alongside a new store in Kalispell, MT. Another new Barnes & Noble bookstore is due to open the week after in Jonesboro, AR.
“Few parts of my job are more gratifying than opening a new bookstore,” said Store Manager Vicki Bailey, Barnes & Noble bookseller of 28 years. “While our look may have changed since I helped open our Fresno location in 2002, the core of good bookselling remains the same — beautiful, well-organized bookstores staffed by friendly and knowledgeable booksellers is a winning combination. We can’t wait to welcome you into your new Visalia Barnes & Noble.”