---
title: "Barnes & Noble Inks 11K-SF Retail Lease for New East Village Store"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/14c84511-1324-4228-a8ba-b138ad92f907
source: "Commercial Observer"
original_url: https://commercialobserver.com/2026/05/barnes-noble-lease-east-village-store/
author: "Amanda Schiavo"
category: "Specialty retail"
industry: "Retail"
segment: "Specialty retail"
published: 2026-05-27T20:45:24.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T13:16:48.012Z
image: https://commercialobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/05/181-Ave-A_Jason-Pennington-copy.jpg?quality=80&resize=1200%2C630&strip=
---

# Barnes & Noble Inks 11K-SF Retail Lease for New East Village Store

**TL;DR:** Barnes & Noble signed an 11,300-square-foot retail lease at Steiner NYC's 181 Avenue A in Manhattan's East Village. The store is expected to open in November, as part of the chain's plan to open 60 new stores across the U.S. in 2026.

*By Amanda Schiavo, originally published in Commercial Observer on 2026-05-27. [Read the original](https://commercialobserver.com/2026/05/barnes-noble-lease-east-village-store/).*

## Story

Bookstore chain **Barnes & Noble** is opening a new chapter in Manhattan’s East Village.

Barnes & Noble signed an 11,300-square-foot retail lease at **Steiner NYC**‘s **181 Avenue A**, which is also known as the **Steiner East Village**, an 82-unit condominium building on the corner of Avenue A and East 11th Street.

The store is expected to open in November, according to *Crain’s New York Business*, and is just a 20-minute walk from the Barnes & Noble flagship store at **33 East 17th Street** near **Union Square**.

“It was worth the wait,” **Douglas Steiner**, chairman of Steiner, told Commercial Observer. “They’re a great retailer, it’s a fantastic use. We’re thrilled.”

**Ripco Real Estate**’s **Jason Pennington** and **Ben Weiner** represent the retail segment of the condo building, which also uses the address **438 East 12th Street**. **Newmark**‘s **Ariel Schuster**, **Jackie Totolo** and **Michael Paster** represented the tenant in this lease.

The Ripco and Newmark brokers declined to comment, while a spokesperson for Barnes & Noble did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The bookstore’s new space encompasses 9,200 square feet on the ground floor and 2,100 square feet on the lower level. The asking rent and the length of the lease were not disclosed, but the average asking rent for retail space in the nearby area of 14th to 23rd streets was $320 per square foot for the first quarter of 2026, according to **CBRE** data.

News of Barnes & Noble’s new lease comes as the bookstore chain has made a surprising comeback in recent years. Despite the rise of e-commerce and competition from independent bookstores, Barnes & Noble has plans to open 60 new stores across the U.S. in 2026, adding to its current U.S. store footprint of approximately 745 locations.

Its new East Village store will be at the base of Steiner East Village, which was developed by Steiner NYC and designed by **Paris Forino Interior Design**. The building boasts that it was the “best-selling condo building” of 2018. Its amenities include a residents lounge, fitness center, swimming pool and landscaped rooftop terrace.

Keywords: 181 Avenue A, 33 East 17th Street, 438 East 12th Street, Ariel Schuster, Ben Weiner, Douglas Steiner, Jackie Totolo, Jason Pennington, Michael Paster, Barnes & Noble, Newmark, Ripco Real Estate, Steiner NYC, Steiner Studios

## Entities

- expansion plans (topic)
- Real Estate (sector)
- store opening (topic)
- Commercial Observer (publication)
- CBRE (company)
- Newmark (company)
- Amanda Schiavo (person)
- retail lease (topic)
- Ripco Real Estate (company)
- East Village (location)
- Barnes & Noble (company)
- Ariel Schuster (person)

---
Originally reported by Amanda Schiavo, Commercial Observer (https://commercialobserver.com/2026/05/barnes-noble-lease-east-village-store/). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/14c84511-1324-4228-a8ba-b138ad92f907).