Barnes & Noble To Open Meriden Store This Month

MERIDEN, CT — Barnes & Noble will open a store in Meriden at the Townline Square Annex.

The bookstore will officially open at 9 a.m. March 20 with author Liv Constantine cutting the ribbon and signing copies of her books. Mayor Kevin Scarpati will also be on hand at the grand opening at the 533 S. Broad St. location.

The new store will occupy about 9,000 square feet in a space that previously held a Pier One Imports, which closed in 2020.

“Meriden has been without a bookstore selling new books since the much loved Borders bookstore closed in 2011,” James Daunt, CEO, Barnes & Noble, said in a statement. “Thank you to everyone in Meriden who has written asking us to open a bookstore. The positive feedback we have received since announcing our new bookstore has been wonderful.”

Barnes & Noble will also be opening a store in Gainesville, FL on the same day. The bookstore chain is "enjoying a period of tremendous growth as the strategy to hand control of each bookstore to its local booksellers has proven so successful," according to a statement from the company. Following more than 15 years of decline, recent sales numbers have been strong, and over 50 stores are on track to open this year.

“As a longtime bookseller, I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of bringing Barnes & Noble to Meriden,” Store Manager Amy Black said in a statement. “Our booksellers have been hard at work curating our selection for this community, and we can’t wait to welcome readers into their new Meriden Barnes & Noble.”

Last year, Barnes & Noble opened a 20,000 square foot store in the Danbury Fair Mall, and in 2021, the chain relocated its Westport store to a new site in the same town.