ATLANTA, Ga. — The Toco Hills shopping center just landed a new tenant.
Barnes & Noble will open in the former Westside Market space. Developer EDENS owns the Toco Hills shopping center and is also currently redeveloping the former North DeKalb Mall space into a mixed-use project.
“We are thrilled to join the Toco Hills community with the opening of our new Barnes & Noble store,” the company said. “Spanning more than 14,000 square feet and planned to open in September 2026, the store will offer all the books, toys, games, and gifts our customers have come to expect.”
Westside Market’s lease expired, but the company still has locations in midtown Atlanta and Roswell, Ga., and in Greenville, S.C.
Barnes & Noble is pursuing an aggressive expansion strategy, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers. The company wants to grow its footprint by 1,000 locations in the coming years and had plans to open 60 stores in 2025.
“Barnes & Noble is outperforming traditional mall anchors by focusing on customer experience, curated merchandise and immersive store design,” the ICSC report said. “Under the leadership of CEO James Daunt, Barnes & Noble has embraced an indie bookstore atmosphere with curated layouts, themed tables and a books-first merchandising strategy.”
NBC Chicago reported the company announced plans to open another 60 stores in 2026.
“For 2026, we are planning to open another 60 stores across the country, not only entering new markets, but to return to those we once served,” a statement from the company sent to NBC Chicago said. “Barnes & Noble is enjoying a period of tremendous growth as the strategy to hand control of each bookstore to its local booksellers has proven so successful.”
The announcement about the Toco Hills store said it will provide a “warm and inviting environment” that will entice people to linger in search of their next favorite read.
“We are excited to bring a new community gathering place to Toco Hills and cannot wait to welcome customers to their new store,” the company said.
