Livingston book lovers will soon have a new place to browse, buy and settle in with a good read.
Barnes & Noble is moving from the shuttered Livingston Mall to a larger standalone location at 530 W. Mount Pleasant Ave., with a target opening date of Wednesday, Aug. 5, according to NJ1015.
The new 24,740-square-foot store will take over the former Buybuy Baby space at the Livingston Shopping Center, which most recently served as a Spirit Halloween location. A Barnes & Noble spokesperson confirmed the move to Patch.
The bookseller signed a long-term lease with Kite Realty Group for the Route 10 location, NJ.com reported. RIPCO Real Estate brokered the deal, with the firm saying the new storefront offers better visibility and access than the former mall location.
The store will join retailers including Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx, DSW, Ulta Beauty and World Market at the shopping center.
A new chapter after the mall’s decline
Barnes & Noble’s move comes as Livingston Mall reaches the end of its more than 50-year run.
The mall opened in 1972 but struggled with declining foot traffic in recent years. Macy’s closed its Livingston location earlier this year as part of a nationwide store reduction plan, leaving another major vacancy at the property.
Longtime Livingston resident Carla Harrilal described the mall’s decline to NJ.com as “looking at a sinking ship because you knew it was gonna close down soon.”
The Livingston Police Department issued a warning in June that the vacant property would be monitored and that anyone found trespassing with criminal intent could face prosecution.
What comes next for Livingston Mall
The former mall site is already being eyed for redevelopment.
Livingston Township designated the property an “Area in Need of Redevelopment” in 2024. Town documents show that 15.8 acres of the former Sears site have been approved for 376 housing units, including apartments and up to 81 townhouses, as part of the township’s affordable housing obligations.
Planning firm Topology has also created a conceptual vision for the remaining 43 acres, though no formal site plans had been submitted to the Planning Board as of December 2025.
The mall’s owners, Kohan Retail Investment Group and Transformco, have not publicly announced plans for the full property.
For now, Livingston residents will get a new destination for books, gifts and community events when Barnes & Noble opens its Route 10 location in August.
