Bookstore chain Barnes & Noble is moving forward with expansion plans in the Houston suburbs, taking over retail spaces previously occupied by other national chains. The company has confirmed three new store openings in the metro area, including locations in Spring, the Aliana community between Richmond and Sugar Land, and on Fry Road in Katy. These additions will increase its total number of stores in the Houston region to 15.
In Aliana, Barnes & Noble has pre-leased an 18,000-square-foot building at Market Center on Grand Parkway. Developer Property Commerce said construction will begin soon, with completion expected by spring or early summer. The shopping center is almost fully leased and anchored by H-E-B and Target. LA Architects designed the new bookstore location, while U.S. Builders is handling construction.
A second store is scheduled to open mid-November at Grand Parkway Marketplace in Spring. This location will occupy a 12,500-square-foot space that was formerly home to Party City at 6600 Spring Stuebner Road. In Katy’s Greentree Shopping Center at 435 South Fry Road, Barnes & Noble will take over another former Party City site measuring nearly 22,000 square feet; this store is expected to open early next year.
These moves follow earlier activity for Barnes & Noble in Houston: the company reopened its renovated Town & Country Village store in January and opened a new Conroe Marketplace location in July 2024 after Bed Bath & Beyond vacated that space.
The recent growth comes as part of a broader rebound for Barnes & Noble following years of contraction. The company reported it opened more stores last year than during the entire decade from 2009 to 2019—a period that ended with its $475 million sale to hedge fund Elliott Management.
By year-end, Barnes & Noble expects to have opened more than 60 new stores nationwide and anticipates maintaining a similar pace into next year. The retailer also recently agreed to purchase Books Inc., an independent San Francisco Bay Area chain, for $3.25 million.
Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt said last year that supporting local bookshops remains central to the company’s approach: “Over the past couple of decades the company has bought and maintained bankrupt independent regional bookstores.”
