When will Barnes & Noble open new Paramus store? Bookseller sets a goal for its return
Paramus residents itching to pick up a book at their local Barnes & Noble will need to wait until the end of the year.
The bookseller closed its nearly 30-year-old store along Route 17 last weekend. But spokeswoman Braeden Boyle said Wednesday that Barnes & Noble aims to open a new location just down the highway by late November, although an exact date is still to be determined.
The old store, a corporate chain outpost that became a local institution, closed for good on Saturday. A work crew was on hand to begin removing the "Barnes & Noble" lettering off the building's facade.
In a goodbye message to customers on the local store's Facebook page, the Paramus employees mentioned the store will be returning to its new location in the borough this fall, though they didn't give more details.
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“To our amazing staff - past and present - and to our wonderful customers, thank you for an amazing 28 years,” the employees said in the post. “We will cherish the memories and friendships forever. It was a pleasure being your neighborhood bookstore for more than 2 decades. We cannot wait to see you all at our new location this fall!”
The nonprofit New Concepts for Living is taking over the old location, with plans for a state-of-the-art "achievement center” for adults with disabilities. New Concepts for Living expects a fall opening for its center, which it says will eventually serve 200 clients.
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Once Barnes & Noble learned that its landlord was not renewing the company's lease on Route 17, the company began a search for a new space in town, even asking the community for suggestions.
Earlier this month, the chain announced it would reopen in a property currently occupied by Big Lots! at 634 Route 17 North. The spot, formerly home to a Toys R Us, is a little over a mile south of the bookstore's current location at 765 Route 17 South.
Stephanie Noda is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: noda@northjersey.com
Twitter: @snoda11
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Barnes and Noble aims to open new Paramus NJ store near end of year
