Upper East Side Barnes & Noble Flagship Set to Open
-- Publishers Weekly, 6/17/2009 7:21:00 AM
Although it is only opening a few new outlets this year because of the economy, Barnes & Noble is excited about the prospects for the new store it is opening Friday on New York City’s Upper East Side at 150 East 86th St. and Lexington Ave. B&N has had smaller stores in the area in the past, but, according to Mitch Klipper, B&N chief operating officer, the new outlet “is the store the neighborhood deserves.”
The new store is similar in nature to B&N’s Union Square and Lincoln Center locations and is 55,000 sq. ft. and will stock over 400,000 book, music, DVD and magazine titles. Klipper said the store “will have the best of everything we have to offer.” An expanded children’s section, which will carry 5,000 titles, is one of the highlights. Other enhancements include an advanced cash wrap cueing system, a custom neighborhood mural in the store’s lobby with a video wall, and video streams of live information and entertainment displayed on video walls throughout the store.
Klipper called the new store another “flagship” for New York, and one that he believes will become a center for community activities. B&N is opening the store with a combination of events, author signings and promotions. Among the authors set to appear are Lewis Black, Buzz Aldrin, Emeril Lagasse, Peter Yarrow and Dorothea Benton Frank.
