If reading more books is on your list of 2026 resolutions, we’ve got some good news—Barnes & Noble is expanding in Chicagoland this year!
The big-box retailer will add four new locations in the coming months, according to a first report from NBC Chicago.
Here’s all the details!
Barnes & Noble opening in the Loop, Hyde Park, and suburbs
Barnes & Noble will open two new locations in Chicago proper in 2026, according to NBC, including a sprawling State Street storefront spanning over 30,000 square feet.
The book retailer will also launch a Hyde Park outpost, along with new stores in Oak Park and Skokie’s Old Orchard Mall.
The expansion comes several years after Barnes & Noble shuttered nearly all of its local storefronts after years of decline.
In more recent times, however, the chain has made a major comeback, reviving its brick-and-mortar stores in cities across the U.S.
In 2024, Barnes & Noble launched its first new storefront since the mass closure, opening at the historic Noel State Bank building in Wicker Park.
“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 bookstore said in a previous statement about its expansion.
“We are experiencing strong sales in our existing stores and have been opening many new stores after more than 15 years of declining store numbers.”