Barnes & Noble To Open North Shore Bookstore In Former Amazon Location

LYNNFIELD, MA — Barnes & Noble is looking to turn the tables a tad on one of its biggest competitors in the book market.

The company on Friday said it will open two new bookstores in the Boston area — at Lynnfield Marketplace and Legacy Place in Dedham — in the former location of two Amazon Books storefronts.

The two new Barnes & Noble locations are both expected to open this fall.

"A few years back it would have been unthinkable for Barnes & Noble to be opening so many new bookstores across the country," Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt said in a news release. "Moreover, to do so now stepping into the shoes of Amazon Books is an especially happy turn of
events.

"Bookstores have never been busier, with our policy to empower our local bookselling teams proving especially successful. Our booksellers are creating inspiring bookstores and we very much look forward to doing this in Dedham and Lynnfield over the next few months."

The company said it plans to open 16 new bookstores nationwide in 2022 and 30 new stores in 2023.

The company said that compares with the 15 stores it opened combined in the nine years from 2010 to 2019.

Barnes & Noble did announce plans to close its location on Granite Street in Braintree after 28 years in January. The company said at the time it was because the landlord was seeking to develop the space for another tenant and that the bookseller would look to "open a new bookstore in close proximity."

"We are very pleased to be building these new bookstores in Dedham and Lynnfield, showing just how beautiful and interesting we can make them," Barnes & Noble VP of Stores Amy Fitzgerald said. "Our booksellers don't need any encouragement but stepping into the spaces of Amazon Books has made the work especially satisfying.

"These are going to be great bookstores in very popular shopping centers."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)