Barnes & Noble returning to downtown Seattle in 2026

SEATTLE - Barnes & Noble is reestablishing itself in downtown Seattle next year, with a flagship store set to open in the business district soon.

What we know:

The new location will be at 520 Pike Street, with a 10-year lease signed at the Tishman Speyer building. It's the largest retail lease in downtown Seattle since 2020.

The store is set to open in the first quarter of 2026, marking the bookseller's return to downtown Seattle. B&N's previous downtown location at Pacific Place closed in January 2020.

The new space features 17,538 square feet inside the 29-story tower on the corner of Pike Street and 6th Avenue, offering an array of books, toys, games, magazines, gift items and more.

520 Pike Building (Credit: Lara Swimmer)

"Barnes & Noble’s return to downtown Seattle is enormous. When a national retailer returns to downtown it’s an indicator of confidence in our center city and the strength of our retail trade area," said Downtown Seattle Association president and CEO Jon Scholes. "And that thought is bolstered by other recent openings or expansions of strong brands like SuitSupply, Portland Leather Goods, Arc’teryx, Uniqlo and the soon-to-be open Carmine’s, among others. There is energy in downtown with a record residential population, visitor numbers that are the strongest we’ve seen in six years and more public space amenities coming online that increase our vibrancy. It’s a great time to open shop in downtown Seattle."

Dig deeper:

Barnes & Noble previously announced plans to open over 60 bookstores in 2025 alone, as the retailer experienced good sales performances at the beginning of the year.

Since January, Barnes & Noble opened several locations across western Washington, including in Bellevue, Issaquah, Lakewood, Puyallup, and Seattle's University District.

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