Mt. Kisco Celebrates the Arrival of Barnes & Noble to Downtown
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Mount Kisco celebrated its second significant grand opening within a week on Saturday as the new Barnes & Noble opened its doors in the space that was formerly home to Rite Aid and Walgreen’s.
The much-anticipated opening of the bookstore at 59 S. Moger Ave. comes about 13 years after the village lost Border’s on Main Street when that company filed for bankruptcy.
It is hoped that the return of a bookstore, which like Border’s has a café, will attract visitors to browse for gifts as well as serve as an unofficial meeting place for the community.
“The mourning is over. We now have a bookstore,” Mayor Michael Cindrich said moments before local officials, Mount Kisco Chamber of Commerce members and Barnes & Noble representatives cut the ribbon in time to open the doors for the first time at 9 a.m.
“It’s not only a bookstore, it’s going to be a gathering location similar to what Border’s was. They have a beautiful café. It’s something we should be proud of and it’s going to be a destination location that we hope the people are going to be coming from the surrounding communities to not only enjoy Barnes & Noble but to enjoy the other stores and shops that exist in the downtown area.”
The nearly 14,000-square foot storefront opens onto South Moger Avenue while a rear access point opens to the Shoppers Park parking lot. It will employ about 25 people to start, including the café, and will be open seven days a week, said store manager Julia McDonald.
McDonald said it’s important for the company that Barnes & Noble is welcomed with enthusiasm into the community’s where they open.
“We’re just so excited that it’s finally here,” McDonald said. “It was a long time coming.”
She said there are thousands of books along with games and a variety of other merchandise.
Chamber of Commerce Co-Executive Director Beth Vetare-Civitello said Barnes & Noble will be a sort of community center that will almost certainly bring people into the downtown. When there are more people in a downtown, there is more potential it could help other businesses.
“This is a draw,” Vetare-Civitello said. “It will never just be Barnes & Noble, it’ll be Barnes and Noble and Mount Kisco, so it’s going to draw for everybody. This is just a boon for the entire community.”
The grand opening came six days after the village welcomed the relocation of ShopRite from Bedford Hills to The Park, the complex at 333 Bedford Rd. in Mount Kisco.
Although there are other bookstores in the area, including independent shops in Katonah, Chappaqua and Pleasantville along with other Barnes & Noble locations scattered around the county, McDonald said she doesn’t believe business will suffer for any of them.
“I think the more bookstores the better,” McDonald said. “I think it’s one thing you can never have enough of in a region or a community, and I think just the more the better. We also have such a diverse offering for customers and it’s kind of a unique experience to be able to shop in a Barnes & Noble, with the café right in the store, take your time and not feel rushed.”
On hand for the ribbon-cutting and grand opening was New York Times bestselling author Kat Ashmore. Ashmore hit the big time with her first book earlier this year, “Big Bites,” a cookbook featuring more than 100 simple and nourishing recipes that put a new and healthy spin on old favorites.
Ashmore said it was great to see a new bookstore open when not long ago they were seen as relics of the past.
“I think opening a bookstore in 2024 makes the world feel like a better place and I think there’s nothing that encourages empathy and community like a bookstore,” Ashmore said.
Barnes & Noble of Mount Kisco will initially be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday through the holiday season. After the holidays, McDonald said the company will reassess the hours.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
