Barnes & Noble is going to be opening a store at Eastview Mall.
That’s according to a statement released on Wednesday by Wilmorite, the company that owns the local malls.
Eastview Mall Manager Mike Kauffman said that, “our shoppers have consistently requested a bookstore so we are happy to welcome Barnes & Noble to Eastview.”
Kauffman said it's been about 15 years since Eastview had a bookstore. Previously the bookstores included names like Walden and B. Dalton, which had often set up in shopping malls across the country.
Barnes & Noble already has stores in Pittsford Plaza, The Mall at Greece Ridge, The Towne Center in Webster and the University of Rochester store on Mt. Hope Ave. in Rochester.
Many of the Barnes & Noble stores have cafes, often with a Starbucks inside the store, but the book company's Senior Director for Store Planning and Design, Janine Flanigan said that the smaller footprint of the Eastview location will not allow for a cafe in that particular store.
Flanigan said the new store is expected to open in January.
Barnes & Noble has been in a growth mode, and Flanigan said they expected to open about 40 new stores over the next year. She said that the company is really trying to cater to local communities.
"In some of these new stores, (they) will have a section that’s Best of Rochester, and talk about the books that are important to the customers that are local to that store."
The new Barnes & Noble will will be located just inside entrance 2 at Eastview, in a space that has previously been occupied by Oriental Rug Mart, and before that, Pottery Barn Kids.
