Barnes & Noble will open its new UES bookstore this July | Upper East Site, Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble will open its new UES bookstore this July | Upper East Site, Barnes & Noble

First Look Inside New UES Barnes & Noble Bookstore

Barnes & Noble announced Monday it would officially return to the Upper East Side in less than two months, meeting the July grand opening timeline first reported by Upper East Site in March and missing the original, planned opening this spring. Plus, we’re also getting a first look inside the new space.

The new Barnes & Noble bookstore is located at 1550 Third Avenue, between East 87th and 88th Streets | Upper East Site
The new Barnes & Noble bookstore is located at 1550 Third Avenue, between East 87th and 88th Streets | Upper East Site

Construction is still underway at 1550 Third Avenue, between East 87th and 88th Street, across from Whole Foods Market.

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However, the long-awaited and highly-anticipated new bookstore will open to customers at 10:00 am on Wednesday, July 12th, the company announced Monday.

The new UES bookstore features white and natural wood shelving | Barnes & Noble
The new UES bookstore features white and natural wood shelving | Barnes & Noble

We’re also getting a first look inside the new Upper East Side bookstore thanks to images posted on social media by Barnes and Noble, showing a tastefully designed interior with white and natural wood shelving lining the walls and the floor covered in grey carpet.

Construction is still underway inside the new UES bookstore | Barnes & Noble
Construction is still underway inside the new UES bookstore | Barnes & Noble

Upper East Site readers spotted crews assembling bookshelves inside Barnes & Noble’s 8,000 square space on the ground floor of the Agora Building last week, formerly home to a Duane Reade pharmacy that closed in 2020.

The new UES bookstore is approximately 8,000 square feet | Barnes & Noble
The new UES bookstore is approximately 8,000 square feet | Barnes & Noble

Roughly one-sixth the size of the massive underground Barnes & Noble bookstore that occupied two underground levels at 150 East 86th Street, now home to Target, the new store will be a slimmed-down shopping experience, like its new store that opened in Brooklyn last year.

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Photos of that store shared with Upper East Site show a minimalist design emphasizing rows of literature, as well as small sections featuring greeting cards and vinyl records, which have made an enormous comeback, outselling CDs last year for the first time in 35 years.

The new UES bookstore will have a minimalist vibe, like the bookseller's Brooklyn store | B&N
The new UES bookstore will have a minimalist vibe, like the bookseller’s Brooklyn store | B&N

One thing is for sure; there will be no cafe or Starbucks inside the new Upper East Side Barnes & Noble store, according to a spokesperson.

In addition to needing the retail space for books, there is also a standalone Starbucks directly across East 87th Street.

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