Barnes & Noble is getting ready to reopen after a year of renovations in Clarendon, consolidating the previously two-level bookstore into just the second floor.
The bookstore chain plans to reopen at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 6, a spokesperson told ARLnow. D.C.-based author Sam Kean will cut the ribbon on the remodeled store and host a book signing at 2800 Clarendon Blvd to celebrate.
Kean is the New York Times-bestselling author of “Dinner with King Tut” and other nonfiction titles delving into science and history.
Barnes & Noble closed for renovations last May after about two decades in business. Now consolidated to the second floor, the renovated store spans 14,041 square feet — about half the size of its original layout.
“The store has been fully remodeled featuring our new design format and will have a carefully curated selection of books, toys, games, magazines, gift items and more,” the spokesperson said.
Renovations included installing a new elevator and escalator connecting patrons to the bookstore on the upper level, property management group Regency Centers previously told ARLnow.
The bookstore’s former ground floor has since been subdivided to house two forthcoming tenants: restaurant and bar Three Notch’d Brewing Company and Xi’an Famous Foods, a fast-casual Chinese restaurant.
The brewery will take up the majority of the space across 10,160 square feet and is aiming for an opening in late summer or early fall. Xi’an Famous Foods, which hopes to open this August, will fill in the remaining 2,659 square feet.
