New Barnes & Noble Opens Wednesday In Downtown Westport

WESTPORT, CT — The new Barnes & Noble bookstore in Westport is scheduled to open on Wednesday, officials announced.

Local bestselling author Liv Constantine will cut the ribbon on the new store at 10 a.m., and other Westport-based authors, including Rowan MacColl, Maria Scrivan and Jane Green, will also drop by with pre-signed books throughout the week.

The store closed its previous location in Westport in December, and the new site, which is a former Restoration Hardware, "is light and bright, with bespoke oak shelving and custom designed tables curated with the Westport customer in mind," the company said.

The new site is smaller than the previous Post Plaza Shopping Center location, but "with its clever design holds almost the same number of book titles as the old bookstore." It also has large rooms for children’s books and has a full selection of toys, board games and puzzles.

"Our new Westport store is an emphatic statement of our confidence in the future of physical bookstores," said James Daunt, who became the new CEO at Barnes & Noble in September 2019. "This beautiful store, filled with good books and cared for by experienced booksellers, offers a wonderful experience. The pandemic has given a huge boost to our online sales, of course, but we are confident that book lovers want to return to real bookstores. We think we have created a really special bookstore in Westport."

Added store manager Deni Fitzgerald, "We are so excited to reopen in our new location near Bedford Square in Downtown Westport, in the old Restoration Hardware location. It is our first new store in Connecticut in nearly fifteen years! This new store is bright and beautiful, with big windows that let in so much light."

Fitzgerald, who has 20 years experience as a bookseller, and the staff from the old store are transferring to the new one, and they look forward to welcoming customers.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the new Barnes & Noble has several COVID-19 safety precautions in place for both our customers and staff. These safety measures include:

• Enhanced cleaning throughout the day;
• Social distancing measures of at least six feet for customers and booksellers, including a limit to the number of customers at any one time, and in-store signage;
• Protective barriers at our registers to separate customers and booksellers;
• Booksellers are always required to wear face masks;
• All booksellers have temperature checks before shifts;
• Curbside delivery for Buy Online, Pick Up In Store orders

For more information on the new Westport Barnes & Noble at 76 Post Road East, search social media sites using the handle @BNWestport.