Barnes & Noble turns page at Fashion Island

A popular bookstore chain has found a new home at Fashion Island.

Barnes & Noble is leaving its store near Edwards Island Theater and moving into a much larger space in the shopping center’s Atrium Court.

The move will triple the size of the bookstore and create more space to sell DVDs, CDs and lattes.

“We’ve been in Fashion Island since 1993, and we’ve been looking to expand ? for quite some time,” Manager Natalie Basmaciyan said.

The chain’s store model includes the new music and movies section, as well as an in-store cafe. Basmaciyan said her store had wanted to expand for years but was restricted by the old location’s tight 12,000-square-foot space.

The 40,000-square-foot facility will include new amenities and a special children’s area with 15,000 titles.

“Between the books, the CDs, the DVDs and the magazines, we’re coming close to 200,000 titles,” said bookstore community relations manager Drew Adams.

The new store will also offer wireless Internet for a fee and its RedDotNet music preview system, which enables customers to listen to any CD in the store simply by passing it under a scanner.

The new store will be open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and is expected to officially open May 17, although the public will be invited to a special preview of the facility May 16. The original Barnes & Noble bookstore closed April 18.

Company officials estimate the new store will employ about 100 workers and will host ongoing events including author signings and local book clubs.

“I think it’s been well received and embraced by the community,” said Laura Davis of Fashion Island. “It’s a popular destination. It’s sort of a gathering place in the community.”

The new Barnes & Noble will replace several businesses that once operated in Atrium Court, including a Starbucks and a Bev Mo. Davis said American Rag, a fashion and home apparel line with a store in San Francisco, will replace the old Barnes & Noble.

The relocation is just one of a series of new moves in Fashion Island. Macy’s recently moved into the old Robinson’s May building. Last year, Macy’s parent company Federated Department Stores Inc. of Cincinnati purchased St. Louis-based May Department Stores Co.