Author: G. Li, Megaphone Editor-in-chief

On January 19th, the Almaden Plaza felt … empty. Gone were the crinkling of pages, the clinking of coffee cups, and the community of readers that considered the Barnes & Noble bookstore in San Jose’s Almaden Plaza a second home. Officially closed, this bookstore was cut short with its 26 years of history. It was a bookstore frequented by many, and for some, like myself, it was a major part of their childhood. 

After shopping at the nearby Costco, I would drag my family to this very Barnes & Noble bookstore, where I would stare, transfixed, at the new releases and flip through some of the novels. It was a haven where I could get to know new books and a place that fostered my love of reading and writing. I loved to read the summaries on the backs of the books, to look through the toys on the shelves, and occasionally be able to pick out a book and hug it out of the bookstore where I would be able to have a fun adventure in the fantasy worlds contained in the pages of these books. With the removal of this cornerstone in my community, I mourn the loss of a piece of my childhood, and I pity the children who will never be able to experience going to this bookstore.

For many San Jose natives, the ambiance of the Barnes & Noble was relaxing, and it represented an oasis in the middle of the busy and quick-paced culture of the Silicon Valley. Here, many would enjoy a cup of coffee in the café and do some work or meet up with friends. It served as not only a place to foster a love of reading, but also as a place to relax and take a breather from our perpetually busy lives. 

On Reddit, a post titled “Barnes & Noble Almaden to be replaced 2025” in r/SanJose garnered over a 140 upvotes, with people in the comments citing how much they will miss this Barnes & Noble. One commenter writes “R.I.P. to a Legend. Many days spent hanging out there with friends, place will be missed.”, and another commented “Noooo! Then there’ll be only 1 left in the area 😦 ”. Others commented “This ruined my night”, “How absolutely awful. I shop at that B&N all the time too, what an absolute shame”, and “I just found out about the closure. That sucks. The Almaden location was so convenient for me. Steven’s Creek is a bit out of the way.”

The Barnes & Noble is set to soon be replaced by a Sports Basement.