Barnes & Noble will open a new bookstore in the Bridgehampton Commons in time for summer reading lists.
This is the retail giant’s first store in the Hamptons and its second on the East End. Last year, Barnes & Noble opened in the former Pier 1 building in Riverhead.
The Bridgehampton location at 2044 Montauk Highway will occupy two storefronts, near King Kullen and Petco, where Collette and Collette Annex most recently were located.
“We are very happy to be bringing a bookstore to Bridgehampton, a community we have wanted to be a part of for many, many years,” James Daunt, CEO, Barnes & Noble, said in a statement.
Leonard Riggio, who has been credited as the founder of the store we know today, is a longtime Bridgehampton homeowner. Barnes & Noble has been in existence since 1917, though its predecessor started in New York City in 1886. Riggio began with a single college bookstore in 1965 and is considered a visionary in the bookselling industry.
“We do so at a time when there is a renaissance in reading underway, with bookstores bursting with energy,” he continues. “It is such an optimistic time for booksellers, and none more so than at Barnes & Noble where we are opening new bookstores of all sizes. Each is run by a team of local booksellers who curate their own stores. It is creating some wonderful new bookstores and we are very excited to start this work next year in Bridgehampton.”
The Commons has seen several new stores open this year, including Athleta and the Tack Trunk.
The bookseller’s Bridgehampton store is one of 30 stores it plans to open in 2023. The New York Times ran a story about its comeback in April. Barnes & Noble opened 16 new stores in 2022. From 2010 to 2019, there were just 15 new stores opened.
Other Barnes & Noble stores on Long Island include one in the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove, as well as stores in Bay Shore, Massapequa and East Northport.
Customers can soon follow updates on the opening on social media by following the handle @bnbridgehamptonny.
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