Barnes & Noble Will Open 60 New Stores in 2025, Indie Bookstores Are Thriving — And We Have TikTok to Thank (Exclusive)

Good news, bibliophiles: bookstores are making a comeback in 2025.

In January, bookstore chain Barnes & Noble announced that it's set to open at least 60 new stores this year, per the Financial Times. The news comes after the store’s previous record of opening of 57 stores in 2024, following a period of closing locations nationwide, according to a Fast Company report. Recently opened stores include a new flagship location in the Georgetown neighborhood in Washington, DC, with other locations set to open in New York, Florida and California, among other states.

“Barnes & Noble has always been a social hub, but it became even more so after the pandemic; many readers were looking for a place to spend time and connect with other people in their community," a representative for Barnes & Noble told PEOPLE. "Our bookstores became a safe and welcoming space to meet up with friends and explore the stacks. Many stores have opted to feature BookTok tables and have grown some extensive graphic novels and manga sections, and have truly become a go-to destination for kids and teenagers to gather after school."

The announcement comes amongst a recent boom in bookstore openings around the country, particularly after a challenging period for the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Booksellers Association reported that their membership increased by over 200 members in 2024, per the Associated Press, with more than 190 independent bookstores set to open within the next two years.

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With online marketplaces like Amazon providing easy avenues to purchase books, running a brick and mortar bookstore is an uphill battle, but it's one their proprietors often see as much as a calling as a career.

“Indie bookstores have been a cornerstone of their communities and acting as third spaces, for decades,” says Courtney Ulrich Smith, owner of Underbrush Books in Rogers, Ark. and a Bindery Influencer at not.so.well.read. “Many, if not all, provide free programming, educational resources and safe, welcoming space for all folks — this is particularly important for younger readers, who need the encouragement and support of adults in their lives to continue fostering their love of reading.”

And those young readers are flocking to them in droves. One reason why bookstores are on the rise is the popularity of BookTok, the reading community on social media app TikTok which has been credited for boosting book sales beginning during the COVID-19 lockdown. Social media-native content like book hauls (in which users show off their recent purchases) and bookshelf tours, make owning physical books trendier than ever, and stores have also catered specific sections of their stores to favorite BookTok titles and authors, like Sarah J. Maas, Rebecca Yarros and Colleen Hoover.

“Since the rise of BookTok during the pandemic, bookstores have seen a significant surge in popularity, especially among young people,” a representative from Barnes & Noble told Fast Company. “Our stores have become popular social spots, offering an experience that online shopping simply can’t match.”

Related: James Patterson Gives $500 Holiday Bonuses to Hundreds of Bookstore Employees: ‘Booksellers Save Lives’

The app has also had a direct impact on publishing in other ways. ByteDance Ltd., the parent company of TikTok, launched the book imprint 8th Note Press in 2023. The publisher, which previously released digital-only titles, will launch a line of print titles in genres that are especially popular on BookTok, like romance and young adult.

The increasing need for “third spaces,” or gathering places for people outside of their homes and workplaces, has also enabled bookstores to step in and continue to fill that need. In addition to offering physical places to gather, many also offer a safe space for those who may not have similar havens at home or elsewhere.

Sarah McNally, owner of New York City-based independent bookstore McNally Jackson Books, notes that bookstores and other communal spaces serve as places for like-minded people. "Bookstores and libraries are third spaces staffed by supportive people who will help young people realize that no matter how alone they feel, it's an illusion,” McNally says. “There are authors and readers who stand with them."

And as book banning reaches a crisis level in the United States, offering young readers access to books matters more than ever. According to PEN America, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness for the protection of free expression through the advancement of literature and human rights, schools have seen a 200% increase in the banning of certain types of literature — which translates into roughly 10,000 books between 2023-2024.

Related: The Most Banned Picture Books From the 2023-2024 School Year Show 'What’s Really at Stake in the Book Ban Crisis'

And in our increasingly digital world, they're also important places for readers — and community members — to get to know one another offline.

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“Bookstores are places where neighbors can meet each other, and where readers of all ages, especially young readers, can discover books they might not have discovered otherwise,” says Julie Wernersbach, author and literary director of the Texas Book Festival. “We need third spaces where we are exposed to ideas that aren't delivered by self-affirming algorithms. We need places outside of our homes, and off of our screens, that open us up to other ways of being.”

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