Barnes & Noble Finds New Home Near -- But Not in -- Reston

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by Karen Goff July 24, 2015 at 9:00 am 2,202 19 Comments

Many Reston residents are still mourning the loss of Barnes & Noble, which closed its store at The Spectrum in early 2013.

The departure left Reston without a place to buy — or at least browse for — new books. The Reston closure came at a time when Barnes & Noble was closing about 20 stores a year, due, in part, to the rise in the popularity of e-readers. The large Georgetown location also closed around the same time as Reston’s.

But that doesn’t mean new ones will “never” open.

The Washington Business Journal reported on Thursday that a new Barnes & Noble will open in at One Loudoun, a mixed-use development in Ashburn, in 2017.

Construction of the 18,000-square-foot store will begin next year, WBJ reports.

Does this mean all hope is lost for Barnes & Noble re-opening here? With new retail developments planned at The Spectrum, RTC West, Reston Heights and Crescent/Lake Anne, there will certainly be available space. Stay tuned.

Photo: Former Reston Barnes & Noble in 2012

Rational Reston

No way it comes back to Reston, there’s one in Tyson’s, there’s one in Fair Oaks, and now there will be one in Ashburn. Why would they put a new store in the middle of that triangle (where most of the people lament about the days where they loitered in the store and didn’t buy anything)
- Adam Smith
  
  Abs correct, the old store was just an alternative to grand central library. With the added benefit that the occasional nerd could solve a syntax problem while parked at sbux.
  - Evey Hammond
    
    Actually, the Reston Barnes & Noble was one of the most profitable ones in the chain. They left in a dispute with the landlord, who wanted them to sign a five year lease, even though they were going to tear the Spectrum down in one at the time.
Sheik Yerbouti

Hasn’t this chain died yet? Mainstream books can be downloaded to e-readers. The only bookstores that have a chance are the ones that sell old & used books that aren’t available for download. Might as well open a Blockbuster Video store…
- Ming the Merciless
  
  They are going the “coffee shop and toy store” route. Wouldn’t surprise me if they started selling cigarettes and lottery tickets…
- Evey Hammond
  
  Actually, most consumer studies say young people prefer print books to ebooks and like to buy their books in stores, where they can make their own special discoveries. The go through the shelves because they like to look at the books and feel them before they buy. They like to read a little bit to see if the books grab them. They don’t just sit and read whole books in the store.
  
  The prime adopters of e-readers have actually been us middle aged and older people. They really caught on because we could adjust the font size and turn any book into large print.
  
  When the Reston B&N was open, there were pretty long lines at the cash register. And, the demise of chain stores has resulted in the resurgence of indie stores. The adoption of ebooks has stalled at about 20 percent of readers. The print book is far from obsolete.
Emmanuel Goldstein

Hate to break it to B&N but I can just use Audible.com or go to the library or buy a book on Amazon for a lot cheaper.
LaureenMT

I will be glad to have another Barnes and Noble nearby! Browsing for books in person is very different than browsing online.
Anna AKG

booo!!!! we want B&N back in Reston!
Chuck Morningwood

First, Wegmans. Now, Barnes & Noble.

It appears that Reston is losing its cachet.
- Karen Goff
  
  Wegman’s was never coming here.
- Emmanuel Goldstein
  
  Where would you even put a Wegmans in Reston? The location in Farifax is close enough.
Arielle in NoVA

The one by Fair Oaks is closer to me than Ashburn AFAIK.
- Chuck Morningwood
  
  Sure, but you can’t really walk there or bike there or take a bus there or even stop by on the way home from work there.
  - Arielle in NoVA
    
    Very true. Just a reason that the Ashburn one isn’t making me jump up and down.
Wings!!

I couldn’t care less about a Barnes&Noble, but if Ashburn gets a Hooters I’m going to be very upset.

#HootersForReston
- Ashburn Guy
  
  Tilted Kilt coming to Dulles Town Center, which is basically Hooters.
- BossHogg
  
  #HootersForReston
Paulette Lincoln-Baker

Ashburn is not at all convenient for me.

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