New bright, open Barnes & Noble store offers different look along with items popular during pandemic

Amid news of businesses closing during the pandemic, there’s a bright spot, especially for book lovers — Barnes & Noble is opening a new store in Sarasota at University Town Center on June 17.

In a sign of the times, the store won’t open to the fanfare usually reserved for a new bookstore. “In the past, we did a very large grand opening,” Store Manager Dominique Rosenbloom tells Coffee Talk. “Now we’re just opening the doors and saying ‘welcome.’ I think it’s just exciting to be opening a new Barnes & Noble store.”