Barnes & Noble — Local services in Natick

The newest Barnes & Noble in Massachusetts is a great addition to Natick. This store replaces the one that was in Framingham in Shopper's World and upon first walking in -- it just smells fresh and new. The shelving is polished and most major sections are clearly labeled. As for navigating the store, it does have a bit of a maze-like quality where you have to weave in and out of sections in a relaxed zig-zag pattern to get to the back of the store which can be a bit unusual, but it does keep each section closed of which is cozy.

The children's section is expansive and there is nice little LEGO table setup with some blocks for kids to play with surrounding by lots of titles (both board books and traditional paperback and hardcover versions of titles). There is also a little shelving section shaped like a train for kids (and their grownup) to sit on to read. The toy section is close by with lots of options for kids of varying ages.

The lighting is bright and while I do prefer a bit more of a softer lighting -- everything is clearly visible. I think I'm just used to B&N stores where the ceiling lights are further away -- but all the lights are mounted about 15 feet above the average customer. Not a major deal.

For those looking to sit and read, there are seating options spread throughout the store, but I found myself missing a concentrated section with more seating. There is no cafe in this store unlike the Framingham location -- but this could be because this plaza has a Starbucks already not too far away.

Overall, this new store still remains a spot my family and I will keep coming to and we are just glad that B&N has returned to a spot within 15 minutes...

Favorite book store around!

Use to go periodically when it was located in Shoppers World and about 3/4 times the size. Now that it’s a smaller location it has this indie, independent personal touch. Instead of a huge department store like atmosphere it’s like Cheers where everyone knows your name. Before it was just a store, now it feels like a home or go to spot.

The staff are amazing, from my bestie Molly, to Emma and Kate they are so friendly, welcoming, informative and helpful! It is so refreshing to have people working there who seriously love what they do. You can always tell right away whether someone works at a big chain just for a paycheck or for the love of the game (reading books!).

The store change has also brought a change from strictly a just book buying experience to a way to engage, learn, and discuss your love for books. Before at the bigger location you could have gone in nameless and left with your purchases. Now you come in to greetings and questions of “how was that book?” “What are we thinking next?”. Truly capturing that small town local shop vibe. Best thing B&N could have done to combat the competitiveness of online bookselling. Can’t...

I never thought I’d enjoy going into a Barnes and Noble as much as I did this trip. The new layout and design feels more focused and it seems there are more books available than in the older, bigger store design. We came to get a gift for a birthday party and I was impressed by the activity/toy/gifts selection. It was almost like a ToysRUs light section which is perfect for finding all kinds of gifts.

Saw they had a corner with chairs for reading, that’s a welcome change and hope they add more seating to encourage people to spend time and not make it feel supper corporate. Will still be frequenting my indy bookstores but now I know B&N is back...