Bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc. last week opened in a 27,000-square-foot space at South Coast Plaza, joining other houseware and specialty retailers such as Crate & Barrel and Williams Sonoma on the west side of the luxury shopping center.
The new store, located on the third floor of the mall on Bear Street, replaces the previous Sport Chalet that closed in 2016 and operates in the same wing as its former competitor Borders.
For New York-based Barnes & Noble, opening at the plaza marks its Costa Mesa homecoming after the bookstore’s previous location at Metro Pointe across the street closed 10 years ago.
James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble, said
James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble, said in a statement that the company is opening “a one-of-a-kind store that truly reflects our ambition as a bookseller and our respect for the caliber and culture of Costa Mesa.”
Daunt, CEO since 2019, is credited for the recent remodeling of Barnes & Noble locations and giving the store employees more control in leading operations based on the local consumer market.
Following his appointment, Barnes & Noble said it has returned to “strong” sales and new openings, with three coming online in OC last year and over 100 total since 2023.
The company has 60 new stores
The company has 60 new stores in the works in 2026, “after more than 15 years of declining store numbers.”
Costa Mesa’s Store Manager Karen Cutler has been with the company for 31 years, including working on the opening team of the previous Metro Pointe store.
“I think Barnes & Noble has done a great job of coming back into the market and localizing each store based on the tastes and interest of the community,” Cutler told the Business Journal on opening day. “This store will be the same—we’re going to localize the product based on our customer base here and make sure we have the right assortment for the interest and tastes of the community.
“This is just a starting point.”
