Joseph-Beth Booksellers Begins a New Chapter with Barnes & Noble
New York, NY – September 15, 2026 — Barnes & Noble, Inc. has signed an agreement with Joseph-Beth Booksellers for the acquisition of their two bookstores and bistros located at The Mall at Lexington Green in Lexington, Ky. and Rookwood Pavilion in Cincinnati, Ohio. Joseph-Beth Booksellers will preserve its independent identity.
“This decision was made for the continued success of Joseph-Beth Booksellers. For 40 years, Joseph-Beth has been more than a bookstore. It has been a gathering place for readers, families, local authors, teachers and neighbors. In honoring its importance to the communities its two stores serve and to support its future longevity, this decision was necessary,” said Robert Langley, owner of Joseph-Beth Booksellers and The Mall at Lexington Green.
Joseph-Beth Booksellers and Bronte Bistro will continue to serve Lexington and Cincinnati in their current locations. Their booksellers, author event team, community and event programming and servers will continue on course with the added benefit of Barnes & Noble’s resources and modernized operations supporting Joseph-Beth Booksellers’ brand and ongoing success.
“Joseph-Beth Booksellers has a storied history and wonderful bookstores, and we are very pleased to ensure their continuity,” said James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble. “We especially look forward to welcoming the booksellers of these two distinctive bookstores into the company.”
Barnes & Noble remains committed to serving local communities with excellent bookstores and promoting literacy. They are looking forward to preserving what has made Joseph-Beth Booksellers so special within the bookselling landscape for the last 40 years.
# # #
All Contacts
About Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest retail bookseller in the United States. The Company has more than 720 bookstores across the United States, as well as its online bookstore at BN.com, the Nook Digital business which offers both e-books and an audio book subscriptions service. Barnes & Noble also owns the stationery and gift retailer Paper Source. Amongst its bookstores, it owns Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver, and Books Inc. in the Bay Area.
About Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Joseph-Beth Booksellers opened its first bookstore in 1986 in Lexington, Ky. At its largest, Joseph-Beth operated 9 bookstores with Bronte Bistros, located in Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. Today, there are two locations, one in Lexington, Ky., and one in Cincinnati, Ohio. Both locations host more bestselling authors, celebrities, public figures and politicians than any other local organizations and support their communities, giving more than $500,000 to local charities to date. Promoting literacy is at the heart of all they do. Joseph-Beth Booksellers believes reading and learning help broaden hearts and minds and is honored to provide a place where ideas are shared, knowledge is gained and memories are created. For more information, visit josephbeth.com.