Barnes & Noble Opens New Store in Baton Rouge

Author Rachel Schneider to Host Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony and Book Signing at the Grand Opening at 9AM on Wednesday, October 1^st, 2025

Baton Rouge, LA – September 24, 2025 – Barnes & Noble is thrilled to announce the opening of its new Baton Rouge, LA bookstore on Wednesday, October 1^st. The new Barnes & Noble is a relocation of the retailer’s Citiplace location which closed on September 12^th. The new space will offer roughly 14,000 square feet of books, toys, games, magazines, gift items and more. It is located in Town Center at Cedar Lodge (7455 Corporate Blvd., Suite 430, Baton Rouge, LA 70809) across from Ulta, in the space formerly occupied by Talbots.

The new Barnes & Noble bookstore will officially open to the public at 9AM ET on Wednesday the 1^st, with local author Rachel Schneider cutting the ribbon and signing copies of her books, including her latest release Metal Slinger, nearly two weeks ahead of its official release.

“We are very pleased to be opening this brand-new Barnes & Noble in Baton Rouge,” said James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble. “We have been a steadfast presence in this community for nearly 30 years. In the intervening decades our old bookstore had begun to show its age. Our Baton Rouge booksellers are eager to show how much work they have done to bring this beautiful new Barnes & Noble to life.”

Barnes & Noble is enjoying a period of tremendous growth as the strategy to hand control of each bookstore to its local booksellers has proven so successful. The bookseller is experiencing strong sales in its existing stores and has been opening many new stores after more than 15 years of declining store numbers. In 2024, Barnes & Noble opened more new bookstores in a single year than it had in the whole decade from 2009 to 2019. The bookseller expects to open over 60 new bookstores in 2025.

The Baton Rouge location is one of eight new Barnes & Noble bookstores set to open in October, alongside new stores in California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, and Tennessee. Each grand opening has drawn enthusiastic crowds that wrap around the building, filling the store as the ribbon is cut.

The design of the Baton Rouge store showcases the ambition of Barnes & Noble to create exceptional local bookstores that marry the best traditions of independent bookselling with the resources of the historic chain. The new Baton Rouge Barnes & Noble will cover nearly 14,000 square feet and carry all the best books, as well as a wide range of toys, games and the usual paper and gifting items found at Barnes & Noble.

“I am extremely excited to open the newest Barnes & Noble location in Baton Rouge,” said Store Manager Lance Kisamore, Barnes & Noble bookseller of 28 years. “For me, Barnes & Noble is a family affair. We have customers who grew up coming to our old location, and now they’ll be bringing their kids to the new bookstore. I met my wife while working at our former location — and now our daughter works at a different Barnes & Noble. My team looks forward to serving the community for generations to come.”

Customers can discover more about upcoming events and news by following @bntownecenterla on social media.

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