After closing its Roxbury store three years ago, Barnes & Noble is getting ready to start a new chapter in the township at the recently redeveloped The Shops at Ledgewood Commons.

In shuttering its home of 26 years at the Ledgewood Mall prior to the property’s transformation, the popular bookseller opted not to reopen at the Route 10 site once the new shopping center was finished.

However, it appears the company has rethought the decision, announcing its return sometime in January 2024. 

“We are excited to be returning to this market. It is an area that has always done well for us, and we are thrilled to be able to come back into the community and provide them with our beautiful, newly designed bookstore,” a spokesperson for Barnes & Noble told NJBIZ. “The store will feature a new release shop, book rooms, bright cheerful paint colors and have seating to encourage customers to sit and enjoy their new store.

“The store is a bit bigger than the old location at 14,000 square feet, and the store will carry all the best books, toys, games and gifts that our customers would expect to see. We are aiming to open in mid-January 2024,” the spokesperson continued.

Located between DSW and Ulta Beauty in a renovated space that was formerly part of a Sports Authority, Barnes & Noble’s 14,000-square-foot store will be bigger than the old location, according to TapInto Roxbury.

In a message posted online, the store wrote, “Thank you for all your excitement with the news of our reopening! … We are looking forward to returning and seeing you!”

According to Barnes & Noble, updates about the opening will be shared here.

After more than 15 years of declining store numbers, Barnes & Noble is now in the midst of a growth spurt, with plans to launch 30 locations in 2023 and over 50 in 2024. At its peak in 2008, Barnes & Noble had nearly 730 locations throughout the U.S. Now, it has about 600 stores nationwide, including 17 in New Jersey.

Later this month, the retailer will make its return to Paramus. The company was forced to close its store at 765 Route 17 S. after the property’s landlord opted not to renew the lease agreement, however it found a new location just across the highway at 634 Route 17 N. and expects to open Nov. 24.