Barnes & Noble Bookstore Opens New Store in Kalispell

Barnes & Noble bookstore is opening its new Kalispell location on Jan. 31. The store is located at Mountain View Plaza along U.S. Highway 93 North next to Famous Footwear in the space formerly occupied by Pier 1.

The bookstore will officially open at 9 a.m. with Montana author Katie Powner cutting the ribbon and signing copies of her books. The new location showcases the bookstore design seen in the most recent Barnes & Noble store openings, housing everything from books to toys to games and other gifts.

“The positive feedback we have received since announcing this new Barnes & Noble has been astounding,”  James Daunt, the CEO of Barnes & Noble, said in a press release. “It has been a long time since Borders had their bookstore just across the parking lot and it is a particular pleasure to bring a major new bookstore back to U.S. 93.”

The bookstore chain Borders filed for bankruptcy in 2011 and closed 399 stores nationwide, including its Kalispell branch.

Barnes & Noble has experienced rapid growth in recent years and opened more new bookstores in 2023 than it had in the whole decade from 2009 to 2019. The bookseller expects to open over 50 new bookstores in 2024. The Kalispell bookstore is one of two new Barnes & Noble locations to open its doors next week, alongside a new store in Visalia, Calif.

“I’m honored to help bring Barnes & Noble to the Flathead Valley,” store manager Daniel Urquidi said in the press release. “Our booksellers have been happily hard at work setting up displays and curating our selection to the tastes of our community.”