SEATTLE — Book lovers, get ready. Barnes & Noble is coming back to downtown Seattle, marking another chapter in the city’s bookstore revival.

The national bookselling chain plans to open a new store at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Pike Street, where The North Face store once stood. The opening is scheduled for mid-April 2026.

The move adds to a growing list of independent and national bookstores expanding across the region, part of a broader trend that’s bringing print reading back into style.

“It’s something communities are really wanting—those tight-knit experiences, going to small bookstores,” said Mckenna Martin, owner of Lovestruck in Seattle .

After years of closures sparked by online retail and digital reading, physical bookstores are enjoying a resurgence. The American Boo

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