Barnes & Noble Opening New Store In Columbia

COLUMBIA, MD — The new Barnes & Noble opening in Columbia Wednesday will look much different from most of the chain's 600-plus stores across the country. Located at The Mall in Columbia, the shop is a new prototype, one of six “concept stores” that Barnes & Noble has created to provide the type of experience that officials say their customers are seeking.

"What we wanted to do when we designed this store was to create a modern, contemporary bookstore, of course with books at its core and at its center," Vice President of Stores Carl Hauch said in a preview tour Patch attended Tuesday.

The contemporary design includes oak bookshelves, three community tables and "book theaters." There are also LED lights overhead.

The children's area is at the back of the store to the right, including a Lego section.

The "book theater" is a display of books intended to draw people in to the 17,000-square-foot store, which is laid out with aisles of books on either side.

Salespeople will be equipped with tablets to help patrons find things in the store easily.

There are also self-serve kiosks where people can look up titles and find suggestions based on those as well.

The Columbia Barnes & Noble features a section dedicated to local authors and has a Maryland section.

There is an extensive young adult part of the store as well as a wall of graphic novels.

The store is purposefully designed so that the cookbooks section leads to the cafe, which is at the front of the store and is integrated into the layout without any sort of walls around it, Hauch noted.

Photos of the cafe courtesy of Barnes & Noble.

The cafe sells Starbucks coffee and tea drinks as well as baked goods, sandwiches, quiches, a soup of the day, flatbreads and healthy grab-and-go snacks. Seating is available at individual tables and a community table, which is equipped with outlets for AC adapters and USB cables.

There are three community tables throughout the bookstore, a concept which is part of the new prototype.

Photo courtesy of Barnes & Noble.

"We've learned a great deal from each new store we've opened over the past few years and the new Columbia store represents a culmination of what we've learned so far," Hauch said in a statement. "We look forward to serving the Columbia community with a great selection of literature for all ages and interests, a selection of vinyl and turntables, and a strong assortment of educational toys and games, family games and puzzles as well as curated gift items for book lovers of all kinds."

Also included in the store is a 700-foot flexible space available for community events, Storytimes, school book fairs and book signings.

Barnes & Noble opens Wednesday, Sept. 19, at The Mall in Columbia, 10300 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. The store is near Uncle Julio's and Sears.

Watch: Barnes & Noble Vice President of Stores Carl Hauch explains the new concept in Columbia.

RELATED: 6 Businesses To Open At Columbia Mall By End Of 2018

Photos by Elizabeth Janney unless noted.