Barnes & Noble to take over University Book Store space in Seattle's U District

After more than 100 years in business as an independent bookstore, the University Book Store in Seattle’s U District will soon be home to Barnes & Noble.

The bookseller, which has about 600 stores across the U.S., has plans to open another location in the University Book Store space next month.

The news was revealed in a job posting on the Barnes & Noble website. The link navigates to a web page showing a Barnes & Noble location slated for June at 4326 University Way NE. That’s University Book Store’s current address.

A spokesperson for the University Book Store confirmed the news Tuesday, but said it’s not going anywhere. Rather, the store, which has been around since 1900, will continue to independently run all operations except for the trade books department.

"Trade books" is a publishing industry term that refers to books intended for general readership (i.e. not academic or specialized books) and retail distribution. The category includes fiction and non-fiction and encompasses much of what customers find at any bookstore. In other words, Barnes & Noble appears poised to take over the bulk of book sales at University Book Store.

Textbooks will remain under University Book Store, and Boon Boona Coffee will continue to run the cafe.

A formal announcement was being planned for next week when KUOW reached out.

Barnes & Noble did not respond to a request for comment.

Clarification notice, Tuesday 5/20/2025 at 5:45 p.m.: This article was updated to clarify the meaning of "trade books."