Barnes & Noble Opens New Store in Rapid City

Producer and Bestselling Author Sean Covel to Host Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony and Book Signing at the Grand Opening at 10AM on Wednesday, July 16^th, 2025

Rapid City, SD – July 9, 2025 – Barnes & Noble is thrilled to announce the opening of its new Rapid City, SD bookstore on Wednesday, July 16^th. The new Barnes & Noble is located in Rushmore Crossing (1617 Eglin St, Rapid City, SD 57701), in the space formerly occupied by Big Lots, next to T.J. Maxx.

The new Barnes & Noble will officially open to the public at 10AM MT on Wednesday the 16^th, with bestselling children’s author Sean Covel, most recently of Who Is The Super Ultra Mega Special Super Special Guest?, cutting the ribbon and signing copies of his books. Sean gained widespread recognition as a producer of the iconic film Napoleon Dynamite and has been an active philanthropist in his home state of South Dakota.

“Growing up in the Black Hills, I dreamed of seeing my books on Barnes & Noble shelves,” said Sean Covel. “To cut the ribbon on Rapid City's first Barnes & Noble — with my own books inside — is absolutely mind-blowing. This year I have several kids’ literacy programs rolling out, and I can’t wait to do events at this new and awesome location!”

The Rapid City location is one of seven new Barnes & Noble bookstores set to open in July, alongside new stores in Maryland, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington. Each grand opening has drawn enthusiastic crowds that wrap around the building, filling the store as the ribbon is cut.

“We are very pleased to open this beautiful new bookstore in Rapid City,” said James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble. “It is a direct result of some of our booksellers and many residents of Rapid City emailing with a vigorous campaign to ask us to open here. We thank them for their persistence!”

The design of the Rapid City 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 Rapid City Barnes & Noble bookstore will cover over 20,000 square feet filled with all the best books, as well as a wide range of toys, games and the usual paper and gifting ranges found at Barnes & Noble. It will also feature a B&N Café.

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 Black Hills are rich in history and culture,” said Store Manager Melissa Anderson. “I am honored to bring Barnes & Noble to my hometown and be part of the team that helps foster a love of learning through literature in the community.”

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

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