| Washingtonians woke up the day after the election to find a familiar name back in town. I’m talking, of course, about Barnes & Noble.
Wednesday, in an old Georgetown building that originally housed a Ford dealership, B&N opened a spectacular three-story bookstore.
At 10 a.m., customers waiting on the sidewalk surged into the store to browse and be dazzled by this new palace of book retailing. It was possibly the only happy place in Washington, aside from the Heritage Foundation, where I assume they’re dining on panda steaks paid for with Trump Digital Trading Cards.
Working within the guidelines of Georgetown’s historic district, the 30,000-square-foot B&N leans into factory chic. It sports a partially stripped hardwood floor, exposed concrete beams and paneling made from old gymnasium bleachers. The first floor is filled with an assortment of wooden tables — instead of high bookcases — which creates a huge open expanse brightly lit from windows on three sides (photos). |
