Barnes & Noble Grand Opening (Paramus, NJ)

Barnes & Noble has returned to Paramus, NJ after leaving the iconic Route 17 South location back in March 2023. Just in time for Black Friday, the bookseller opened its doors on November 24 with a Grand Opening event complete with a ceremonial ribbon cutting, signings with 7 authors, and a line that went around the building!

To help kick things off at 8am were (left to right) Paramus Chamber of Commerce Co-Chairperson Donna Perkosky, Harlan Coben, Paramus Mayor Christopher DiPiazza, store manager Denise Benders, Rev. Run, and Justine Simmons:

Although we had to say goodbye to the two-story 80,000 sq. ft. location of 28 years, this new location makes great use of the 61,000 sq. ft. building, formerly home to Big Lots and Toys R Us before it.

All of your favorite B&N sections can be found whether it’s Home & Garden, Romance, Young Readers, Manga, Cookbooks, or even Toys & Games. One of the best parts of the Paramus predecessor was the “Book Annex” which the new location pays homage to with a few walls of deals, as well as several glass cases of first editions, rare books, and imports.

Another popular area is the entertainment section, which was previously found on the second floor. Now it is conveniently located next to checkout and filled with mostly vinyl records, entertainment-related books, and a couple of shelves for Blu-rays & CDs. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a Barnes & Noble without the cafe (above) where Premium members were able to enjoy a free hot or iced coffee/tea, exclusively for the Grand Opening!

On top of the traditional Black Friday signed book drop (which included releases by Millie Bobby Brown, Kerry Washington, Jada Pinkett Smith, John Stamos, Keegan-Michael Key, Meghan Trainor, and Christopher Paolini), the Grand Opening also hosted a Cat In The Hat storytime and signings with Harlan Coben (above), David & Jon Moscow, Caseen Gaines, Howard Megdal, and Rev. Run & Justine Simmons (below):