Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the nation’s largest retail bookseller and a leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced that it will open a new store in Eastchester, NY, at the Vernon Hills Shopping Center on November 22. The new location combines a best-in-class bookstore with a new restaurant concept, the Barnes & Noble Kitchen, featuring a flavorful, shareable menu, as well as a premium selection of wine and locally sourced craft beer. This store is one of the new prototypes being tested by the company.
“We are excited about the Eastchester store and believe that we have picked a great location in a strong market, and that it will be successful,” said Len Riggio, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Barnes & Noble, Inc.
The 22,000-square-foot store offers a comfortable environment with a variety of seating options. From community seating around a table to individual comfortable chairs, customers will have the option of curling up alone with a good book or gathering with a small group of friends. The ash-wood surfaces of the bookshelves and mix of concrete, carpet and wood floors throughout help make various sections of the store feel intimate and distinct in their purpose. Large glass windows, accented by super-efficient LED lights and unique decorative fixtures, provide a soft, natural lighting that brightens the entire space.
When customers enter the store, they will be greeted by a giant 600-square-foot “Author Wall,” which is a word search from Sterling Publishing’s Puzzlewright Press that contains 432 six-inch-high letters spelling over 80 author names. It is designed to delight and “puzzle” customers as they try to solve the word search.
Barnes & Noble Eastchester also features new technology intended to enhance the customer shopping experience. Customers looking for assistance can text questions and comments to store staff and receive prompt personal assistance. Booksellers will also be equipped with mobile engagement devices providing detailed information on all products available from Barnes & Noble to better assist customers as they search and discover their next great read. Additionally, once the product is in the customer’s hand, they can check out without a visit to the cashwrap.
Self-serve kiosks located throughout the store will provide a robust platform for customers to discover books and other products and locate them in the store through an interactive store mapping tool, as well as enable customers to order and ship directly to their home. From the kiosk or their own device, customers will also be able to access a store map that will show them where in the Eastchester store they can locate products they are interested in.
Introducing the Barnes & Noble Kitchen
Barnes & Noble has partnered with AvroKO and The Branstetter Group, leaders in the restaurant and hospitality consulting business, to design the new Barnes & Noble Kitchen. At 2,600 square feet, the Barnes & Noble Kitchen offers an all-day menu, featuring flavorful, shareable dishes with something for everyone. The Kitchen offers a large selection of premium wines by the glass or the bottle, including local favorites Hermann J. Wiemer Kabinett Riesling, Schneider & Bieler Le Breton Rosé and Red Hook Seneca Lake Cabernet Franc, all from the Finger Lakes region of New York. It will also offer locally sourced craft beer, including popular offerings from New York State breweries including Third Rail Brewing, Brooklyn Brewery, Rushing Duck Brewery and more.
The menu, which reflects the seasonality of local ingredients, features dishes that include brick-cooked chicken, slow-cooked beef short ribs, plancha-cooked salmon, brisket burger, burrata and cured meats & artisan cheeses for the table, gluten-free options, and much more. The menu was created by Sheamus Feeley, Executive Chef Consultant for The Branstetter Group, who brings more than 20 years of experience in restaurant operations, including serving as Vice President, Executive Chef of the Hillstone Restaurant Group.
The Kitchen features an array of seating options to suit all needs, including a coffee and wine and beer bar, worktable with easily accessible electrical outlets, lounge area to encourage comfortable conversation, and countertop seating, in addition to traditional table service.
The Kitchen at Barnes & Noble Eastchester is enhanced by a 3,000-square-foot outdoor patio, with beautiful stone walls, a stone fire pit, and is surrounded by stadium seating and couches. The patio features abundant outdoor seating and a bocce ball court, inviting a fun and relaxed atmosphere.
Barnes & Noble Eastchester is dedicated to supporting the community and hosting events of interest to customers, from bookfairs for local schools to book signings and Storytimes. Wine and food tastings, as well as intimate music events, will be featured in the Barnes & Noble Kitchen.
The grand opening of Barnes & Noble Eastchester will be celebrated on Friday, December 2, and Saturday, December 3, with a variety of events including special appearances by local authors Mara and Matt VanFleet and Alyssa Capucilli. The celebration will also feature face painting, costume character appearances, bocce demonstrations and live music throughout the weekend. Contact Barnes & Noble Eastchester at 914-472-0689 or visit the BN.com Store Locator for more details on events and activities.
Barnes & Noble Eastchester is located at the Vernon Hills Shopping Center on 680 White Plains Road in Scarsdale, NY. Customers are encouraged to find Barnes & Noble Eastchester on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, by searching the handle, @BNEastchester.
About Barnes & Noble, Inc.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS) is a Fortune 500 company, the nation’s largest retail bookseller, and a leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products. The Company operates 638 Barnes & Noble bookstores in 50 states, and one of the Web’s premier e-commerce sites, BN.com (www.bn.com). The Nook Digital business offers a lineup of popular NOOK® tablets and eReaders and an expansive collection of digital reading and entertainment content through the NOOK Store®. The NOOK Store features more than 4.5 million digital books in the US (www.nook.com), plus periodicals and comics, and offers the ability to enjoy content across a wide array of popular devices through Free NOOK Reading Apps™ available for Android™, iOS® and Windows®.
General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained by visiting the Company’s corporate website at www.barnesandnobleinc.com.
Barnes & Noble®, Barnes & Noble Booksellers® and Barnes &Noble.com® are trademarks of Barnes & Noble, Inc. or its affiliates. NOOK® and the NOOK logos are trademarks of Nook Digital, LLC or its affiliates.
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Photo credit: John Labbe for Barnes & Noble
