After a 33-year run next to the Caltrain stop, Redwood City's longstanding Barnes & Noble at Sequoia Station is set to close this September, pulling a big, familiar storefront out of the busy El Camino shopping center even as the national chain grows elsewhere in the Bay Area.
As reported by Silicon Valley Business Journal, the Sequoia Station location will shut its doors after 33 years in the community. Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt told the paper the company regrets closing the longtime Peninsula location even as it opens new stores.
Chain expansion and local moves
The closure lands in the middle of a nationwide push to rebuild Barnes & Noble's brick-and-mortar footprint. The company has said it is opening dozens of stores this year as part of a larger growth plan. In a press release, Barnes & Noble said it is on track to open roughly 60 stores in 2026. Hoodline has tracked Bay Area moves, too, including filings for a large Stevens Creek location in Cupertino that have drawn attention from neighborhood booksellers and city officials.
What the store meant to the neighborhood
The Redwood City shop sits at 1091 El Camino Real inside Sequoia Station and has hosted regular community programming such as weekly storytimes, according to the store's event listings. Barnes & Noble's store page lists those events, and the center's manager notes that Barnes & Noble has long served as one of Sequoia Station's anchor tenants (Innisfree Companies).
What happens next
The Business Journal's report pins the shutdown to a September window but does not include details about staffing or whether booksellers will be offered transfers or severance, Silicon Valley Business Journal noted. For now, the retailer has not publicly shared plans for the space or for employees affected by the closure.
Why this matters
The move highlights the tension between the chain's aggressive reopening strategy and the shrinking footprints many independent booksellers have endured. Under CEO James Daunt, Barnes & Noble has leaned into locally curated stores and acquisitions, including the purchase of Bay Area chain Books Inc., a shift examined by both national and local outlets.
