Fremont lost its Barnes & Noble in 2010. Why is a bookstore chain coming back 16 years later, and why to a shopping center better known for Costco runs and Target errands?
Barnes & Noble is scheduled to open at Pacific Commons Shopping Center on Wednesday, Dec. 9, according to a company spokesperson quoted by KRON4. The store will sit next to Sephora and Old Navy. The building explains a lot about the choice. The store is taking over a big-box space that another retailer gave up, at a center whose owners say they want exactly this kind of tenant.
Sixteen Years of Bookstores Moving Around Fremont
Fremont's last Barnes & Noble was on Mowry Avenue and closed in 2010. The Borders at Fremont Hub, its competitor, closed the next year. Half Price Books took the opposite route. It started out at Pacific Commons and moved to Fremont Hub in 2012. Tri-City Voice traced all of these moves when the new store was announced in July and summed them up neatly: "The trail of bookstores in downtown Fremont looks like a great reshelving."
So the new store takes the big chain bookstore out of central Fremont and puts it in South Fremont, in a shopping center Half Price Books left 14 years ago. Tri-City Voice pointed out that the location also keeps some distance between Barnes & Noble and the two bookstores already operating near downtown.
The Space DSW Moved Out Of
The store's space tells the most about why it landed here. Barnes & Noble is moving into a 24,638-square-foot space that DSW used to occupy, and DSW has moved to a smaller spot on the same block.
That's a big footprint for a bookstore. It's roughly a third larger than the 18,000-square-foot store Barnes & Noble just opened in Cupertino, which the company described as "much larger" than any bookstore that city had before. A shoe store shrinking its footprint left room for a business that wants floor space for books plus a café, newsstand, vinyl, stationery, toys and games. The company's Cupertino announcement lists all of those as standard parts of its stores now.
Mayor Raj Salwan welcomed the news on Instagram, in a post quoted by KRON4: "It's great to see another major retailer choosing to invest in Fremont, creating more shopping options and making Pacific Commons an even stronger destination for our community."
What Pacific Commons' Owners Say They're Building
The DSW space isn't the only large space at Pacific Commons getting a new purpose. In January, Vestar, the Phoenix-based company that manages the center for owner Heitman, announced that H Mart will open its largest U.S. location there. According to USA Today, the 100,000-square-foot flagship will replace the former Kohl's at 43782 Christy St., with construction expected to begin in late 2026. Connect CRE reported that the store will be H Mart's multi-level prototype, with a food hall and dine-in restaurants.
Rick Hearn, Vestar's vice president of leasing, laid out the plan in that announcement:
"Together with our partners at Heitman and the City of Fremont, we are actively adapting to our consumers' shopping preferences, focused on welcoming experiential, destination-driven concepts that energize the center and serve the broader community."
Both new tenants fit that description. A food hall and a bookstore with a café give people a reason to stay longer than a quick errand. MINISO, the lifestyle retailer, also announced a January 2026 grand opening at 43485 Boscell Road. The center already has more than 55 retailers and restaurants, including Target, Costco, T.J. Maxx, Nordstrom Rack and Sephora. Those stores still bring in the everyday shoppers. The newer leases are aimed at keeping them around once their shopping is done.
Why a Chain Closing Stores Nearby Is Opening This One
Barnes & Noble has been opening and closing stores around the Bay Area at the same time. The difference seems to depend on the building, not the city.
| Location | What happened | Reason or space | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanforan, San Bruno | Closed | Lease was ending | Last day May 2, 2026 |
| Redwood City | Closed after opening in 1993 | Lease ended, and the landlord didn't offer a renewal | Scheduled to close Sept. 16, 2026 |
| Cupertino Crossroads | Opened | Former Party City, 18,000 sq ft | Grand opening set for Nov. 4, 2026 |
| Pacific Commons, Fremont | Opening | Former DSW, 24,638 sq ft | Scheduled for Dec. 9, 2026 |
Barnes & Noble said the Redwood City closure happened because the lease ended and the landlord offered no option to stay. The San Bruno store at Tanforan also closed when its lease ran out. Neither closure came with a statement that the market had weakened. Across the region, the stores that closed were in buildings whose leases ended, and the new ones are going into big spaces other retailers left behind.
Nationally, the company is still growing. In its October announcement for the Cupertino store, Barnes & Noble said it was on track to open 60 stores by the end of 2026 and now has more than 735 bookstores, up from fewer than 600 in 2023. CEO James Daunt has given individual stores more say over what they stock. Modern Retail reported that the company stopped accepting publisher payments for in-store placement and mostly promotes store managers from within. The company's Cupertino announcement quoted Daunt saying, "Our bookselling teams are crafting exceptional bookstores, each one distinctive to their own community."
A company growing that quickly needs large, well-placed spaces near busy anchor stores. In Fremont, the one that became available sits between Sephora and Old Navy, at a center whose management has said publicly it wants destination tenants.
Fremont's Bookstores Before and After Dec. 9
The new store joins two bookstores that have built loyal local followings.
- Banter Bookshop at 3768 Capitol Avenue is an independent store that Amy Davis opened in 2022. It sells new books for readers of all ages, and an October profile in Harker Aquila described its twice-weekly storytimes and five staff-led book clubs. Banter won the bookstore category in The Mercury News' 2025 Best of Fremont list. In October, the East Bay Times included it among the Bay Area independent booksellers taking part in a Banned Books Week read-in.
- Half Price Books at 39152 Fremont Hub lists hours of 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily on its store page and got an honorable mention in the same Best of Fremont list.
Upcoming dates:
- Thursday, Nov. 19, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Author Saba Brelvi discusses The Squatters at Banter. The event is free, but you need to register in advance.
- Wednesday, Dec. 9. Barnes & Noble's scheduled opening at Pacific Commons, next to Sephora and Old Navy.
When Barnes & Noble opens, Fremont will have bookstores on Capitol Avenue, at Fremont Hub and at Pacific Commons. That's the first time in more than a decade the city has had a large chain bookstore alongside an independent and a used-book seller.
How the old big-box spaces at Pacific Commons get refilled affects how people around South Fremont spend their weekends, and over time it shapes what buyers expect from the area. If you're thinking about how changes like these could affect your home's value, Sonali Sells can take you through what's happening around you, from shopping centers to nearby sales. Request a free home valuation when you're ready.
