Barnes & Noble — Local services in New York

Quiet Bliss and Expert Customer Service. I searched for a B&N near me as Chambers Street had closed. Brooklyn location was very convenient. I found it easily and can return often. I love the feel of the place; the energy was nice... blissful. I was seeking to re-obtain a KJV of the Bible as it is a code I study and I need to personally hold the book in my hand to determine if it is adequate to my needs.

The visual appeal of the store from the outside was inviting. On entering, I asked for "religious books" and was directed a short distance away.

There I found exactly what I sought in a well-organized section of Bibles. The selection was adequate, two separate publishers and a variety of type styles and sizes -- VERY important for extended interaction with text of beloved study. I was able to turn pages and peruse the augmented material. I also discovered a 1611 version, which though NOT perusable, because of the promise of intrigue and documentation it provided for how we got to the "standard" standard KJV we have today. These details are not known by most casual lay readers of the Bible, even, I think, those who choose the KJV as their preferred version of study.

In the end, I selected THREE (3) books -- OH THE POWER OF SELECTION VARIETY: a Royal Blue leather-like covered Thinline of Medium point text, though it's called large print; 😆 a thicker more traditional sized Black leather-like covered "large print" text, suitable for my readings of daily PRO-Verb (20/66) chapters (1/31) and at times the corresponding readings of Psalm (19/66) chapters 5 per day for a total of 150. ...and then, of course, the irresistible cellophane wrapped 1611 version, which I subdued my urge to open before buying even though I WOULD have purchased the opened copy.

To be sure there were other inviting items but being at ~$130 at that point, I moved to check out.

We connected my already existing and free-rewards program with Paper Source, ANOTHER STORE I ABSOLUTELY LOVE, to my B&N purchase to ensure I got my $5 coupon -- perks of spending+$100. And OK by me.

Then the piece-de-resistance: when the $1 bags I sought to purchase to carry my brand new lovely items home in, did not exist where I was directed, the suggesting manager (I think) just automatically unlocked and entered a side room and produced one of the prettiest most exciting bag I have ever seen for book. And I JOYFULLY added it to my total purchases, and SKIPPED on air back out to the street, lovely books in tow.

I LOVE Barnes & Noble, and am happy they still exist as one sanctuary option for hands-on book lovers.

This concludes the joy-filled reliving of my experience. Thank you for the opportunity to share....

New location is smaller and YOU FEEL IT! The moment a bunch of moms and nannies came with strollers, navigating the store became a maze and you basically have to move every 5 seconds when someone else needs to get by.

This location also favors certain book genres over others or divides them in confusing ways. Manga has a whole wall, while comics only has one shelf . . . But not really? Graphic novels for adults and LGBTQ+ community are by the YA books. Meanwhile any book that I guess a kid could read is in the children's section. So technically there is more than one comic shelf, you're just gonna have to walk around and guess which section the book you're looking for is in.

The craft section was my favorite spot as it had a variety of books on different crafts I liked and wanted to explore. This included knitting, crocheting, needle felting, woodworking, paper flower making, embroidery, and more. With only two shelves now, a lot of crafts are no longer represented, while the current selection is miniscule. And to add insult to injury, the craft 'section' is right next to the elevator.

If you like cooking, fiction, biographies, photography, or self-help books, then you'll probably still like this store. Or if you have kids, there's a large section for them, but it's not as spacious as the old store so it's best not...

The new B&N location is beautiful (but a bit compact). I love that the shelving design has most books with their cover facing out so that you can see so much more at once and spot interesting things from afar. This works best in the fiction section where there’s plenty of room to stand and get around other shoppers. However, some of the other sections are too narrow and have tables in the middle, making it feel like you’re pac man and the shoppers waiting to view the shelf you’re at are ghosts :) I’ve only visited once so far, but a few different times I had to walk away and come back to a section because there was no room. I do miss the carpeting and wider aisles at the court street location because it was easy to find a spot to stand and browse and relax without being in the way and felt like a comforting place to be for a while. No café isn’t the worst thing, but it would be great if a public bathroom became available. Also hopefully in the future, certain spots can have fewer display tables with redundant books, and there might be more room to walk or sit. The staff is always really great and I’m so happy there’s still a B&N in...