WHITEHALL TWP. — It's a new chapter for Barnes & Noble's Lehigh Valley Mall location.
The national bookstore chain has announced it will celebrate a grand re-opening at 9 a.m. June 12 with an appearance by celebrated author James McBride.
McBride, who penned "The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store," will sign copies of his books and take part in the store's ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“It’s truly a special occasion to have our most recent Barnes & Noble Book of the Year recipient, James McBride, celebrate with us at the grand opening," the bookstore said in a release.
Updated cafe, smaller footprint
After originally opening at the mall in 2007, Barnes & Noble moved into a temporary location next to the JC Penney store after it was announced in August that it would be undergoing renovations.
About 9,000 square feet of the space Barnes & Noble formerly occupied now has been taken up by a new Cheesecake Factory location that opened in December.
Barnes & Noble now will occupy a smaller space next to the restaurant.
"All our staff is coming over from the temporary location and is thrilled to welcome readers into this expansive and stunning new space."Heidi Klein, general manager of Barnes & Noble at Lehigh Valley Mall
The renovations include a new B&N Café — featuring products from Starbucks and Cheesecake Factory — and improved layouts to pave wave for more children's toy and a game and gift section.
"All our staff is coming over from the temporary location and is thrilled to welcome readers into this expansive and stunning new space," said Heidi Klein, store manager at the Whitehall location.
Updated cafe, smaller footprint
Customers may notice the updated store will have a smaller footprint.
“Our team has brilliantly managed to complete an entire remodel in under a year, while opening a temporary location within the same mall to ensure our readers were never left without access to their favorite books," Barnes & Noble Chief Executive Officer James Daunt said in a release.
"As with all our renovated spaces, this beautiful store sets a high bar for brick-and-mortar bookselling."
Barnes & Noble expects to open 50 new bookstores this year after reporting a period of "tremendous growth," the release states.
The Lehigh Valley Mall location is among four new Barnes & Noble locations opening June 12, alongside Northbrook, Illinois; Oswego, Illinois; and Selma, Texas.
Customers can discover more about the renovated store on Facebook.
