Barnes & Noble Booksellers is a juggernaut in the book business. Amazon didn't stand a chance against them, and today, they've turned their business into a one-stop site to purchase everything you could need. Books are certainly not a dead media, and Barnes & Noble is proof of that.

The company began in New York City in 1886 with one store. There are now over 600 of them, with three in Maine.

The first was opened at The Marketplace at Augusta, the second opened in Brunswick at Merrymeeting Plaza in 2023, and the third is set to open at the Maine Crossing Plaza on Running Hill Road in South Portland on May 22 at 10 a.m. It will take the place formerly occupied by Bed Bath & Beyond, which liquidated all its stores in July of 2023.

The new store in South Portland has seen a flurry of activity inside as they get ready for the grand opening. Just think. Every shelf must be stocked with books, and on the first day of stocking, staff members loaded up 105 pallets of books weighing over 90,000 pounds on the shelves. It looks like they still have a lot of work ahead of them too.

Not to worry though. They'll be ready for the new Barnes & Noble opening day in South Portland on May 22, where they will have a few authors on hand to sign copies of books. Hopefully these hard-working people will get some days off between now and then for a breather!

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