From Barnes & Noble:
Barnes & Noble is thrilled to announce the opening of its new Weslayan Plaza bookstore on Wednesday, July 3. The new Barnes & Noble is located at 5510 Weslayan Street, Houston, TX 77005 in the space formerly occupied by Tuesday Morning, near the HomeGoods and Petco.
The bookstore will officially open to the public at 10AM CDT on Wednesday the July 3, with author Katherine Center cutting the ribbon and signing copies of her books. 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 bookstore will also house an updated B&N Café.
“Bookstores are such an important pillar in any community, and it’s wonderful to see the how warmly residents are welcoming the Weslayan Plaza location,” said James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble. “It’s been 15 years since we last opened a new Barnes & Noble in the Houston area, and this bookstore will prove to have been worth the wait.”
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 experiencing exceptionally strong sales in its existing stores and has been opening many new stores after more than 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 new Houston location is one of six new Barnes & Noble bookstores to open this month, alongside new locations in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Louisiana, and Texas. Each grand opening has drawn enthusiastic crowds that wrap around the building, filling the store as the ribbon is cut.
“As a B&N bookseller of 23 years, it’s an incredibly exciting opportunity to be at the helm of this new store,” said Justin Zera, Store Manager. “Our team has been hard at work creating a vibrant space where both creativity and connections can flourish among our readers. We can’t wait to finally open our doors and show customers our beautiful new bookstore.”
