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The new Barnes & Noble location in Eatontown will open on Wednesday, Nov. 20, the bookstore chain said in a news release. The previous store closed about two weeks before the new location's opening.
The new space is a few hundred yards away from Macy's.
"We are very pleased to be opening this beautiful new bookstore here in Eatontown," Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt said. "The Eatontown booksellers have gone above and beyond to have this new space ready so soon after closing the previous location, and just in time for the height of holiday shopping."
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. and author James Murray will be there to sign copies of his books. The new bookstore will also feature an updated B&N Café.
The store will be one of 12 Barnes & Noble locations to open nationwide in November.
"I am beyond excited to open a brand-new Barnes and Noble store in the new Monmouth Mall," said store manager Toby Riddle. "We have been hard at work filling the shelves and can’t wait to welcome readers into their new Eatontown Barnes & Noble."
The Route 35 mall is in the middle of a $500 million transformation into what will be called Monmouth Square. The project to "de-mall" the 64-year-old complex into an open-air town center broke ground in May.
Monmouth Square will have more than 900,000 square feet of restaurants and shops, including a Whole Foods Market in the old Barnes & Noble's spot. There will also be a large public green, medical office space, and walkways.
About 600,000 square feet of existing mall retail space will be demolished. That includes the former Lord & Taylor anchor tenant, which left in 2018, and JCPenney, which closed in 2022.
Monmouth Square will also have 1,000 residential units of luxury housing. It will be a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes.
The community will have its own 40,000-square-foot clubhouse. The amenities will include a fitness center, spa, juice bar, pickleball court, half basketball court, and a golf simulator.
Macy's, Boscov's, and the AMC movie theater will remain open during construction.
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