Initial Reports Indicated That an Opening for the New Westside Bookshop Was Set for June or Early July
Bookworms of L.A.’s Westside have been waiting for the return of the nation’s largest retail bookseller to Third Street Promenade ever since an imminent opening was announced last year.
For a little over two decades, a two-story Barnes & Noble outpost sat on the northeast corner of the Promenade next to Wilshire until its closing in January 2018. Now, the franchise is soon set to open at the long-vacant space at 1318 3rd Street (adjacent to the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf spot and the former site of Athleta women’s sportswear).
Initial reports indicated that an opening for the new Westside bookshop was set for June or early July of this year. However, August has arrived and the storefront remains sealed in signage that states “Barnes & Noble Coming Soon” written twice across.
Upon calling the upcoming store’s provided phone number, a voicemail message stated that the location has set its grand opening date for August 28. Concurrently, after googling “Barnes & Noble Santa Monica Opening” at the time of this writing, “Opens Aug 21” is seen in yellow lettering on the right side results. The franchise’s website also confirms that an August 2024 opening is in place.
Andrew Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of Downtown Santa Monica Inc., responded to inquiry from Mirror Media Group, saying in an email that the organization didn’t have an exact date for BN’s new opening, but that “they are close.”
Reasons for the outpost’s launch delays aren’t immediately clear.
The new Promenade storefront will be the second time in the last year Barnes & Noble has opened a new West L.A. location nearby a prior spot. In Marina del Rey, the retail franchise opened at 4752 Admiralty Way in October just minutes away from its former MDR spot.
