Audio By Carbonatix
Much like Miami’s literary scene, Barnes & Noble has been unfairly counted out time and time again. Less than a decade ago, the company was closing hundreds of stores and laying off full-time employees. A post-pandemic resurgence reversed the trend, with dozens of new stores opening across the country last year.
South Florida readers have feasted on the bounty. Although the beloved West Kendall and Pembroke Pines locations closed in late 2025 and early 2026, respectively, they were followed by new stores soon thereafter. Barnes & Noble Colonial Palms Plaza opened in September 2025, with another opening at Palms at Town & Country shopping center the following month. Now, yet another Barnes & Noble store is coming to South Florida.
This week, local guide platform @miamibucketlist spotted signage in Midtown indicating that the company is opening a store at the Collection at Midtown Miami retail complex, inside the space formerly occupied by West Elm. Real estate media company Commercial Observer broke the news about the store in December.
Barnes & Noble confirmed it plans to open the new Midtown store this fall.
“[Barring] any construction or inspection delays we plan to open early October,” a representative told New Times via email. “The store will showcase our new design and format, and we look forward to welcoming customers.”
Though the Collection at Midtown Miami’s site says the bookstore will measure 13,958 square feet, Barnes & Noble told New Times its new location is “approximately 12,300 square feet.” New Times has reached back out to the company for clarification.
Even as the company continues to expand its South Florida footprint, Barnes & Noble has felt some of the same pressures affecting other retailers in 2026. Last month, business publication Inc. updated its list of Barnes & Noble’s looming store closures. “Nearly every closure is attributed to the same root cause: an expiring lease or a mall undergoing redevelopment — not a decision by Barnes & Noble to pull out of a given market,” wrote reporter Amaya Nichole.
That may send shivers down the spines of loyal Barnes & Noble Sunset Place patrons — the store’s fate remains uncertain as the demolition of the aging South Miami mall looms. The bookstore is one of its few remaining tenants, with vital third space Tea & Poets holding strong, too.
And before you get on your soapbox about supporting chain retailers over mom-and-pops, know that Miami readers are shopping at local bookstores more than ever, and shops are popping up left and right to meet demand. Posman Books and Quade Books opened in 2024, Roots Bookstore and Market opened in Liberty City last summer, and romance-heavy Steamy Lit opened two stores — in Miami Springs and Fort Lauderdale — in recent months.
