Could Fort Worth see another bookstore? The New York-based bookstore chain plans four new stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to add to the it already operates.
Barnes & Noble did have several other locations in North Texas but closed several, including the shops downtown and on University Drive in Fort Worth over a decade ago as online retailers began cutting into brick-and-mortar retailers.
But this year the chain is planning to add 30 to 40 new stores with four in this area, said Janine Flanigan, senior director of stores and planning. That鈥檚 a big jump from the paltry 16 the company had opened in the previous decade, she said.
鈥淭his is big for us,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e really excited.鈥�
The new stores won鈥檛 be as large as some of the previous stores, averaging between 5,000 to 30,000 square feet, Flanigan said. Before some recent changes, the size of a store usually ranged from 25,000 to 30,000 square feet.
These new designs and footprints mean Barnes & Noble can fit in more locations than in previous years.
The first new Barnes & Noble is set to open in late October in Richardson at 1361 W. Campbell Road in the Pavillion East Shopping Center. It will be about 13,000 square feet and have new designs and features with additional display space, Flanigan said.
The retailer, which was acquired by from the U.K. in 2019, has bookmarked three other sites, but has not finalized the other locations.
鈥淲e would love to open one in Fort Worth,鈥� Flanigan said.
One other difference between the new stores and previous Barnes & Noble locations is that much of the content on display will be driven by local decisions and what is selling locally.
鈥淏efore, a lot of those decisions were made elsewhere,鈥� she said.
The Barnes & Noble expansion comes just as independent booksellers seem to be thriving in the wake of the pandemic. According to a recent New York Times , about 300 independent bookstores have opened in the U.S. in the past two years. Theis also seeing an increase in membership, now at 2023, up from just over 1,600 in July 2020.
The Fort Worth area has seen several new independent bookstores open recently. opened in October 2022 and opened in Grapevine earlier this year.
Amazon, which wreaked havoc on brick-and-mortar bookstores with online sales, opened a string of retail shops, including bookstores, in 2015. However, in 2022, it all its retail locations, including a bookstore in Frisco.
And the bookstore that isn鈥檛 quite a bookstore
There鈥檚 another bookstore in Fort Worth that will reopen soon. Only, it鈥檚 more speakeasy than a bookstore.
滨迟鈥檚 at 900 Houston St. Housed in the 1910-era Vybeck Building, it was the location of Thompson鈥檚 Bookstore from 1972 to 1993. In 2015, the location opened as Thompson鈥檚 Bookstore Cocktail Lounge and Speakeasy. It is currently undergoing renovations and is expected to unveil the extensive changes at the end of the month, according to the Facebook page of the business.
Thompson鈥檚 Bookstore is owned by of Mansfield, which also owns Fat Daddy鈥檚 Live, House of Hot Rod and Mama Angie鈥檚 Mexican Cocina.
Down the street from Thompson鈥檚, a new restaurant opens
Just down the street from Thompson鈥檚 Bookstore, contemporary Asian fusion/sushi restaurant, , has made its Fort Worth debut inside the , 810 Houston St.
Musume鈥檚 menu includes sushi and sashimi made with fresh fish flown in daily from Japan, authentic Asian cuisine offered in both small and large plates, vegetarian and vegan dishes, salads, tempura, tableside ramen noodles, and six-or-eight course Omakase (which means dishes curated by the chef). A news release says Musume has Fort Worth鈥檚 largest selection of premium sake with more than 50 labels, as well as the city鈥檚 largest collection of Japanese whisky with more than 60 offerings.
Musume, which means 鈥渄aughter鈥� in Japanese, is part of the restaurant group owned by Dallas鈥� Josh Babb and Sean Clavir. Serving as Musume鈥檚 executive chef is Yuzo Toyama, who is a native of Shizuoka, Japan, and has 20+ years鈥� experience in traditional Japanese culinary arts, most recently serving as executive chef at Yuzo Sushi Tapas in Oklahoma City.
Do you have something for the Bob on Business column? Email Bob Francis as bob.francis@fortworthreport.org
Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org.