Don’t rely out the large field shops simply but. Barnes & Noble is the most recent retail big bringing ‘90s model looking again to San Antonio, this time with a brand new 20,419 sq. foot bookstore at 11745 I-10 W #750 set to open mid-2026 within the Huebner Oaks buying heart.
San Antonians could also be stunned to see Barnes & Noble increasing after the 2010s “retail apocalypse” spurred by the domination of e-tailers like Amazon, which compelled the closure of as soon as ubiquitous chains nationwide. However since being acquired by hedge fund Elliott Advisors in 2019, the corporate has seen a renaissance, opening 60 shops in 2025 alone. The corporate attributes its development to “the technique handy management of every bookstore to its native booksellers.”
That does not imply that Barnes & Noble has gone indie, however the shops now have localized stock and shows. That permits retailer managers to shortly reply to social media traits like #BookTok and curate merchandise that aligns with buyer preferences.
The upswing will also be attributed to a brand new cultural curiosity in “third areas,” gathering spots which might be neither house nor work. The brand new Barnes & Noble shops transcend books to supply toys, video games, magazines, and presents. Additionally they usually characteristic B&N Cafés so buyers can flip by pages whereas they sip.
This might be Barnes and Noble’s sixth present retailer within the San Antonio space, not counting the smaller model that acts as the faculty bookstore for St. Mary’s College. It can change one other late-decade icon, Mattress, Tub & Past, which closed its Huebner Oaks outlet when the corporate went stomach up in 2023.
Development on the brand new bookstore is anticipated to be accomplished by late June 2026, in accordance with Texas Division of Licensing and Regulation venture particulars. A request for extra detailed timeline data was not returned instantly.
Barnes & Noble joins a rising variety of nationwide retailers which might be seeing renewed development, largely fueled by Zoomer nostalgia. Tub & Physique Works is among the many manufacturers seeing a resurgence as buyers more and more search a extra hands-on in-store expertise.
