In Loving Memory: Remembering the Tribeca Barnes and Noble

“I used to go there a lot. It was a nice quiet place for me to do my work, and everyone there was really nice. I was really sad when it closed.” —Mira Gupta, sophomore 

“I remember running around the physics section because there were a lot of books I really liked there.” —Raymond Chen, sophomore

“My favorite memory was when I started crying in the middle of an aisle in Barnes and Noble because the book I was reading was too sad.” —Aasha Zamir, sophomore 

“It was my friend’s birthday. She wanted to go into the Barnes and Noble to get a stuffed animal, even though it was a bookstore. We were there, and it was me and four other people, and we got separated. They went into the more material stuff, and my friend and I went into the book section, and I ended up spending $40 on books.” —Iysis San Andres, sophomore 

“[The best part was] that I could hang out there with my friends, and the way that the books were organized was really nice. [I remember] we were looking for interesting books and just looking around because it was my first time there. There were some nice plushies there. [I remember seeing] a blue unicorn plushie; it was really big.” —Niginabonu Abdurakhmonova, sophomore 

"I went there with [a friend], and that was when it was closing down, so there was a big sale, and it was really fun to get virtually all the books I wanted. It was really fun to splurge, but it wasn't really a splurge, because all of it was on sale.” —Emi Shimada, sophomore 

“Basically, one day after school one of my friends and I were waiting to surprise one of my other friends because, well, why not? And what better place than a Barnes and Noble that is quiet but also gives productive vibes? Though I didn't get much done, hanging out and chilling at the back of Barnes and Noble will always be a core memory for me.” —Eunice Wong, sophomore 

“Despite knocking down a pile of books when I turned around to check out books and another pile when I turned to pick up the pile I first knocked down, during my first and only visit to the Barnes and Noble in Tribeca, I remember loving the cozy interior of the bookstore.” —Claire Zeng, sophomore

“[Some fond memories] are the times that I would go after school to study and immerse myself in the books there. It was a very peaceful and tranquilizing place that I could be productive and calm in.”—David Son, sophomore 

“I loved the Tribeca Barnes and Noble. I’ve spent a lot of time just wandering around and exploring the books they have with friends and it was really a great place to go to just to relax after a long day at school.” —Fin Ying, junior 

“I enjoyed taking strolls around Barnes and Noble with my friends when our exams ended. My favorite memory is finding different board games and toys that you wouldn’t find anywhere else — that’s where I found a Bob Ross deck of cards.” —Alifa Azad, junior 

“I love to look around and look at all of the books I could buy but I don’t.” —Sydney Wong, sophomore 

“My friends and I used to always go to Barnes and Noble after our Stuy finals. We would spend hours there just talking about our lives and reading graphic novels. I've made many memories in the Barnes and Noble, and it will be missed.” —Angelina Lin, junior

“I remember it was my first experience going to a Barnes and Noble during my freshie year, and the employees were super nice and helpful. Starbucks was such a nice place to do work; the atmosphere was amazing and the place was so clean.” —Amy Deng, sophomore 

“On the last day of the semester, my friends and I went to Barnes and Noble, and we went to the kids section and read to each other like when we were kids. It was nice to remember times that were so innocent.” —Ankea Cheuk, sophomore 

“One time in freshman year, they served margarita flatbreads, which are like mini pizzas, for $5. It was genuinely the most bang for my buck, but they discontinued it after two months, never again to be heard of. Also, one time I was buying GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo on CD, and the cashier and I had a debate about whether GUTS or Sour is the better album.” —Rachel Alvarez, junior 

“I remember going to the Barnes and Noble with some friends a few weeks before it closed and having so much fun trying to convince one of my friends not to buy out the whole store. I worked in the Starbucks there a lot, too. It was nice and quiet, and I loved looking at the drawings of different authors on the bit of wall near the ceiling while I was working.” —Sasha Ruinsky, junior 

“Barnes and Noble, aka my #1 impulse spending shop, was the best place to spend time during lunch period. With a bar and a variety of plushies, interesting stuff, and, of course, books, it literally perfected my day. Since it's now gone, if I want to go to Starbucks or need to grab something for my friends real quick, I have to either take a long walk or end up in Target not knowing what to buy. I will forever miss the privilege of having Barnes and Noble nearby my school and will never forget every single one of the memories I made there.” —Eileen Lee, sophomore

“I went there a couple of times to read manga and buy new releases of albums. The staff there were incredibly kind and went as far as letting me know which locations had the manga I wanted in stock and helping me get items from the back.” —Tiffany Yang, junior

“They had so many other things other than just books. When I went there, I bought the Calico Critters, [which is] basically like a toy. I spent so much on them, which I kind of regret, but they’re so pretty and cute. This place had so much to look at.” —Wenxin Zhang, freshman 

“When I went to Barnes and Noble after hearing that they were closing soon, I almost had to come back because of how long the line was. But it was definitely worth waiting because they held such a big discount on all of their books.” —Emily Lin, freshman 

“I barely got to experience the Tribeca Barnes and Noble because it closed so fast. Walking through the store during the closing sale was hectic, but exciting. I was just looking for a Rubik’s cube for a friend, but ended up picking up multiple books, vinyls, and CDs.” —Olive Carney, freshman

“One of my favorite things about the Barnes and Noble bookstore near Stuy was the division by authors. Over the summer, I went and found a little section for Jennifer Lynn Barnes, which was pretty special to me, as she had been a favorite author of my friend and [me].” —Rahul Kisson, sophomore

“I remember during SAT day, me and two other friends hung out there for so long, and it was really fun exploring it for the first time. It’s a shame that it’s closing, especially because I barely got to go there that much.” —Jareefah Alam, sophomore 

“I remember going there with my friends and seeing that they had K-pop albums. I remember freaking out and begging my friends to get an album for me. Fun times! It’s so tragic that the place closed down. RIP Tribeca Barnes and Noble—you will be missed.” —Oleksandr Kurtianyk, junior

“It was just nice being in a bookstore, man. During the school year, I just hadn’t been able to genuinely appreciate literature because I [was] swamped with work and Calculus BC. That was a fun experience — just going there, being in the presence of books that are actually interesting, that are not assigned by my English teacher (who[m] I love).” —Daniel Wu, junior

“I remember visiting for the first time with some new friends that I made recently at the time. We spent a good 30 minutes just browsing books, mangas, and board games and had a lot of fun talking about shared interests while walking around. I cherish that time I spent with them, and we grew a lot closer as a result.” —Yarza Aung, senior 

“I remember going to the Barnes and Noble to hang out and explore the area in my freshman year. Some of my first friendships at Stuy developed from there.”—Ibtida Khurshed