There are approximately 600 Barnes & Noble bookstores in the United States, 57 of those just built last year alone, and 60 more are planned to come by the end of the year. The rise in popularity mostly came from BookTok, which is a group of TikTok-ers sharing their latest reads and recommending good books to one another by telling their followers if they should read them or not. Most of the time, they give the books a rating out of ten and explain why it’s good or not. From fiction to nonfiction and romance to thriller, more people are finding interest in books, and many people are taking up reading as a new hobby.
Many people all over the world enjoy reading, sometimes to relax after a busy day or to inform themselves on a subject. Books can open up a door for all people, no matter who they are or what interests them, as long as a person finds a specific book that they will enjoy. What if they don’t know what to read next? Many people go to their phone to look up what’s trending on BookTok or what their friends have read recently. Then, if they find out what they want, they’ll try to find the easiest way to get the book. And if they’re lucky, there will be a Barnes & Noble nearby. The stores are in all 50 states and will continue to grow out to other areas, trying to get as many new opportunities as possible.
The company has been extremely successful over the past few years, but the numbers are still not the same as they were only a few years ago. In 2008, there were over 728 stores, and the numbers slowly started decreasing until they reached the lowest point the company had experienced in over a decade. During 2021, there were fewer than 600 stores, and sales were horrible; not many people found an interest in the store. The store representative said, “In 2024, Barnes & Noble opened more new bookstores in a single year than it had in the whole decade from 2009 to 2019.” With the new rise in popularity, the business hopes that all numbers will return to normal or get even better.
During COVID-19, many people were stuck in their houses all of the time and didn’t have the option to just leave to go and find a cookbook or look for a new place to travel to. But many people started reading online and finding websites that would let them read whatever book they wanted. This is especially relevant for Gen Z; a Barnes & Noble representative said, “Since the rise of BookTok during the pandemic, bookstores have seen a significant surge in popularity, especially among young people.” This started something in the book community that grew larger. It was increasingly based on technology because people wanted to share all of the books they were reading in their free time. It gave people a new hobby instead of sulking on the couch and watching the same show for months at a time. It gave them a new adventure every day; it tested their brains and challenged them to continue reading.
