BRIDGEHAMPTON, NY — It's great news for book lovers: Barnes & Noble marked the grand opening Friday of its new South Fork location.
The new Barnes & Noble is located in Bridgehampton Commons, located at 2044 Montauk Highway, across from Petco and near TJ Maxx.
The Bridgehampton store is one of three new Barnes & Noble bookstores opening this week, along with new locations in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Richardson, Texas, for a total of 10 new Barnes & Noble bookstores that have opened in the past 30 days, said the retailer.
The new Bridgehampton location features the “highly praised” bookstore design seen in the most recent Barnes & Noble store openings, “housing all the best books, toys, games and gifts customers have come to expect from the nation's leading bookseller,” Barnes & Noble said in a statement.
“The sheer number of new bookstores we've opened this year is cause for good cheer, and opening our Bridgehampton location during the holiday shopping season is cause for special celebration,” said James Daunt, CEO, Barnes & Noble. “Just two years ago the nearest Barnes & Noble was over 50 miles from Bridgehampton. With the opening of our Riverhead bookstore last year, we've cut that to 25 miles. Now we're thrilled to bring Bridgehampton a Barnes & Noble of our own theirs.”
Barnes & Noble is experiencing a period of tremendous growth as its strategy to hand over control of each bookstore to its local store group has proven successful, chain representatives said.
According to Barnes & Noble, the bookseller is enjoying “extremely strong sales” at its existing stores and has opened several new stores after more than 15 years of downsizing.
In 2022, Barnes & Noble opened more new bookstores in one year than it did in the entire decade from 2009 to 2019. The bookseller has opened more than 30 new bookstores in 2023 and plans to open more than 50 in 2024, spokespeople said.
“Opening new bookstores is one of the most exciting parts of my job,” said store manager Sarah de Quillfeldt, a Barnes & Noble bookseller for 12 years. “It's great to have the opportunity to connect with the community and provide a vibrant, local bookstore. This is a truly unique location in the Hamptons, and I'm sure our store will become an important and special place here.”
The location is the second to open in the East End in recent months: The Riverhead location opened in October 2022.
