February 6, 2025

Issaquah embraces Barnes & Noble

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There's a new retail tenant at Issaquah Commons, as was recently announced by that very expansion-minded tenant, Barnes & Noble. The bookseller is taking the former Bed, Bath & Beyond space. Now a private company, the bookseller just opened another store at Bellevue Square. It's lead by James Daunt, who said in a statement, “We are opening new Barnes & Noble bookstores at a pace unseen in decades, and we do so with a focus on returning to communities we once served. We are so pleased to be back in Issaquah, and our booksellers are very excited to welcome customers into this stunning new bookstore.” That store will be managed by Charlene Lee, who'll host a grand opening event next Wednesday morning with Marissa Meyer, author of “The Happy Writer” and “The Lunar Chronicles.” The old Issaquah store was at Pickering Place for two dozen years, before its lease ended in 2020. Since its acquisition by English investor Elliott Advisors, Barnes & Noble has been returning to its brick-and-mortar roots. It opened many new locations last year, and expects to add 60 this year — Issaquah and Bellevue included. Heitman Capital Management owns Issaquah Commons, which is also home to REI, Trader Joe's, Target, Safeway and more than a dozen other tenants. (Bed Bath & Beyond went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy two years back, closing most locations.) Avison Young brokers the space.