It’s my first post, so I wasn’t totally sure what to write about — but then this happened to line up perfectly. I heard a new Barnes & Noble had just opened on State Street in downtown Chicago, and I got curious enough to just walk over. Turns out this location moved into the old Borders flagship spot, and it’s now the biggest Barnes & Noble in Chicago (over 20,000 square feet). The grand opening was August 19th, and I showed up just a few days after that.
The weather was gorgeous on the walk over. Morning sun coming in bright, and there was a cafe along the way with ferns hanging down from the awning — had to stop for a photo. Something about downtown glass reflections mixed with all that green just looks good. If you’ve walked around the Loop, you know the vibe: old stone buildings sitting right next to brand-new glass towers, which makes it a genuinely nice area to just wander through.
The Storefront — A New Face in the Old Borders Spot
Eventually the big “BARNES & NOBLE BOOKSELLERS” sign came into view. Staff were already outside greeting people, and the whole place had that unmistakable “opening day” energy. The building itself is an older stone structure, so the classic columns and huge glass windows gave it a lot of character. The windows kept catching reflections of the buildings across the street, which made for a very “downtown Chicago” photo every time.
“Our Next Chapter Begins Here” — The Grand Opening Sign
The first thing that caught my eye walking in was this — a welcome sign, hand-lettered on a chalkboard, that read:
There were always 3–5 staff members stationed right at the entrance to help people find their way around.
GRAND OPENING! Welcome to Barnes & Noble State Street — Our next chapter begins here….
“Our next chapter begins here” is such a perfect line for a bookstore, and it put me in a good mood right away. Right behind the sign was the Nonfiction section, with new releases lined up neatly on the front tables.
Wandering Between Floors
The store is big and spread across multiple floors, so I ended up riding the escalator up and down just to see everything. Take it up from the first floor and you land right in front of a section labeled “BOOKSELLER FAVORITES” — a whole wall covered in staff picks, arranged in this really colorful way. I stayed way longer than I planned to; the place is big enough that even one full loop takes a while.
1st Floor Stationery & Journals — Blackwing Pencils to Japanese Notebooks
One of my favorite corners was easily the stationery and journal section. Blackwing pencils and spiral notebooks — the same ones I’d actually just bought next door at BRICK not long ago — were lined up in rows, and right next to them were Campus notebooks imported from Japan. There were also floral journals, leather-bound notebooks, fancy planners, all kinds of stuff. I’m a sucker for stationery, so I probably spent a good 30 minutes in this one section alone.
Toys & Games — Maps, Nature Books, and Board Games
The Toys & Games section was surprisingly big too. A whole illustrated book series with titles like “MAPS,” “SPOOKY LAKES,” and “National Monuments of the USA” caught my eye, and behind that were shelves of science/space kits and board games. There was a card and gift section along the opposite wall too — this would honestly be a great spot to bring kids.
The Playing Card Wall — From Superman to Kuromi, a Scale I Wasn’t Ready For
This is the part I genuinely wasn’t expecting. The card game section had regular Bicycle decks, sure, but also Superman, Wiener Dogs, Sanrio’s Kuromi, Lord of the Rings, and Sherlock Holmes themed decks — the variety was insane. There was a Peanuts (Snoopy/Charlie Brown) edition too, and even a U.S. Soccer themed deck. Dice sets were displayed by color in a really pretty way, and classic board games like Yahtzee were right there too.
In the end I picked up a Bicycle Standard deck. Checked the price tag — $4.95. Not bad at all.
The Twist — A Vinyl Shop Inside the Bookstore
And here’s the real twist — there’s an entire section of the store labeled “VINYL SHOP.” Real LPs, row after row of them — I spotted Outkast, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Prince. Underneath were boxed Audio-Technica turntables (AT-LP60XBT and others), plus a set of Victrola speaker/turntable combos on display too. I went in for books and ended up spending a good chunk of time browsing vinyl instead. It really hit me that bookstores these days aren’t just selling books anymore — they’re turning into these broader lifestyle spaces.
Wrapping Up
Overall, the place had that unmistakable opening-day energy, and it felt less like “just a bookstore” and more like a full-on cultural hangout spot — books, stationery, games, and music all under one roof. Turns out the “biggest Barnes & Noble in Chicago” claim wasn’t an exaggeration. If you’re ever downtown, it’s worth a stop.
This post is based on a personal visit and isn’t sponsored by or affiliated with Barnes & Noble in any way.