New Oswego Barnes And Noble Opening Date Set

OSWEGO, IL — Barnes and Noble will officially open in Oswego on June 12.

The book retailer has taken over the former DSW shoe store at 2490 Route 34, within the Prairie Market Shopping Center. The company announced in December 2023 that it planned to renovate 16,000 square feet of space to showcase its latest interior design seen in the most recent store openings, Patch reported.

The new Barnes and Noble will sell the books, toys and games customers have come to expect from the store and will also feature an updated B&N Cafe.

"It’s been 17 years since we've opened a Barnes & Noble near Kendall County, and now Oswego is one of two stores in Illinois, and one of four nationwide, to open its doors on June 12th," said CEO James Daunt said in a statement. "It's an exciting endeavor to be expanding the footprint of physical bookstores, with no plans of slowing down anytime soon. We look forward to welcoming readers to our new Oswego location just in time for the summer season."

Barnes and Noble has experienced 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 news release. In 2023, the company opened more new bookstores in a single year than it did in the decade between 2009 and 2019, executives said. In 2024, the bookseller expects to open more than 50 stores.

To ring in the new Oswego store, children's book author Sherri Duskey Rinker — known for the picture books Steam Train and the Goodnight Construction Site series — will cut the ribbon at 9 a.m. June 12 and sign copies of her books.

"I am ecstatic to be leading the team that brings Oswego's first Barnes & Noble bookstore to life," Store Manager John Crum said in a statement. "It's a been thrilling process to enter an empty building on the first day and watch as we've built something truly wonderful from scratch. We can't wait for this store to quickly become a focal point in the community for families, friends, and book lovers."