Popped in to Barnes and noble while in the river oaks area and after a facial. Felt great to be back in a Barnes and noble! Browsed for a bit through the books before taking some time at the cafe to do some work. Their book selection is massive from upstairs and downstairs to the kind staff I highly recommend read more

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Huge selection of books, comics and manga to choose from, also a lot of collectible items. Great price on different articles for artists. Service was ok since it's a library and workers let you walk around the store with liberty but there's always someone close in case you need help. In my case I don't like to be asked too many times if I need help :) Really quiet place to enjoy a good book. read more

Barnes & Noble - I took my son to choose a present for his birthday. He was really excited. - Bookstores Near Me - Houston, Texas

One of my favorite Barnes and Noble locations anywhere. The two-story store has a great selection, and convenient location. Staff is nice. Parking in the nearby garage is generally easily accessible and available. read more

I am a big time Kindle reader, but my husband is not, so I visit this location frequently to buy books for him. And it is such a pleasure to visit every time! I could spend hours browsing through their books, magazines, gift wrapping supplies, art supplies, puzzles, journals, and other paper goods. Inevitably, I always leave the store with stuff I did not need, like markers, or some ribbon I thought was too cute to leave behind. Staff here is the friendliest, very knowledgeable too. As far as prices go, books are cheaper on Amazon, but by visiting Barnes & Noble you get a whole magical shopping experience that you won't get online. However, if online shopping is your thing, B&N offers buy online and pick up in-store. I have tried this before - my orders were ready for pick-up within a couple of hours. Very convenient. read more

Cool place to be on Sunday There is a chill area where you can have a cup of drink and sit and read or study in the store. Enjoy my first visit Definitely recommended for book lovers read more

Barnes & Noble - Bookstores Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Glad they are still here. First floor has large area of pens, puzzles, gift wrap, last minute gifts. Upstairs large kids section and good selection of toys. They still have the cafe downstairs, I'm just a little disappointed to see much fewer seating options. I remember when they would put comfy seats in the corner and a group space to sit and read. What's helpful are the staff pics, which makes it feel like a more intimate bookstore. Highly recommended for the book lover!! read more

Barnes & Noble - Paper Source and gifts - Bookstores Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Amazing set up and selection of books. Organized well and friendly staff. Also there is spacious Starbucks on site. read more

Barnes & Noble - Bookstores Near Me - Houston, Texas

Always feel such a relaxation as I walk in here. Location: w gray Staff: friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and fast Price: average definitely helps having membership Parking: limited up front but also has a garage The store is divided by interest. Always kept clean. As well as it has a Starbucks inside. Also has a customer service in the center if you need assistance. read more

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I'm giving four stars because they have redone the layout and I could hear how frustrating it was from others (including myself) to not know where to find things. Ofc it was busy during the holidays, but the staff were friendly and trying to help people out and move check out quickly. It's always clean here and free WiFi. The pic is of the book I got on my trip at buy one get one 50% off. (...now that I think about it idk if the discount came off at checkout) read more

Barnes & Noble - A book - Bookstores Near Me - Houston, Texas

Not to be confused with Bans & Noble, which I'm banned from, but then they do hand out a lot of bans. Bookstores are kind of dying, having run their course to some degree sadly, but not so much in the fancy hipster areas where they're still going strong - maybe because that's where people have more money than they know what to do with. Barnes & Noble is a good example of that. This location isn't bad, better than some I've been to. They're not too friendly but they're a lot friendlier than the Half Price Books location over in Montrose on Westheimer & Yoakum. So not bad then. read more

Barnes & Noble - Barn necessities - Bookstores Near Me - Houston, Texas

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If I could give this establishment a negative star, I would. I went in to find an Easter book for my grandchildren...A book about actual Easter...you know the death and resurrection of Jesus. Lots of books about the Easter bunny, eggs and other religious holidays but I had to go on an Easter egg hunt and down a rabbit hole to find anything about the true meaning of Easter. This is so disappointing and disheartening. These children's books should have been front and center. Not hidden from view. I will NEVER come back to Barnes and Noble...not even for a cup of coffee! read more

This is my favourite Barnes and Noble in the city. It stays clean. I can work and have a cup. I can. Browse books. It is always well stocked. If Barnes and Noble have a signed book you can find it here without a problem. The staff is helpful. There is ample parking. Located with its own Starbucks bit there a a 100 metres walk in the car park. read more

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4 stars I wish I could give 4.5 because this location had the friendliest and most helpful staff. They all work very hard and need to be given recognition. This is an extremely busy location and I've seen the way some customers carelessly leave messes every where. People need to do better. I frequent Barnes & Noble's all over Houston. While this location is my least favorite I still don't mind dropping in to pick up books when I'm in the area. Or after I catch a movie at River Oaks theatre. read more

Haven't been to an actual store for almost 4 years as the one I used to visit is closed. Glad to see lots of patrons inside and there are a few businesses on top of the bookstore. Conveniently located in River Oaks and there was a covered parking. Now I can come back to do some readings! read more

While I always love a visit to an actual bookstore, my last visit to Barnes & Noble on W. Gray a couple of weeks ago really left a bad taste in my mouth. Immediately upon entering, I was bombarded with all things Kamala Harris: books she wrote, books written about her, cookbooks, etc. Entire tables dedicated to it. Also, of course, were the hundreds of same-topic books. Basically, it was Democrat Central. It was in your face, inescapable whichever direction you went. The entire front of the store was so brazenly Democrat-oriented that it made me wonder where the Republican books were (and no, that's not what I came for). When I couldn't find any, it became a mission; I looked on aisles, I looked on endcaps. I looked on tables, but of course those were devoted to Ms. Harris and similar types. I found none. I finally asked an employee, who sheepishly told me to follow him. We went upstairs and past all of the aisles to a literal back corner, where I saw Trump's smiling face. I would estimate the area dedicated to Republican topics to be less than a sixth of that for the material displayed downstairs. It seemed obvious that it was there grudgingly, purely out of obligation. THIS POST IS NOT ABOUT REPUBLICAN VS. DEMOCRAT. This post is about being sick of corporations forcing their political beliefs and ideologies on the public, whatever they may be, and regardless of whether they announce their support publicly or do it via passive aggressive means like this. It is very disappointing that a bookstore of all places, a place of learning, of expanding knowledge, participates in psychological games like this. Maybe even more disappointing is that they do it because they've found it effective. How gross. read more

Barnes & Noble is the last of a dying breed - the mainline retail bookseller. The location at River Oaks is a delight - two stories of books, magazines, and more, with a nice little coffee nook inside, should you want to while away an afternoon. The staff is unfailingly cordial and I wish that there were more such folk in retail in general. However, I have to withhold one star, and it's not because of the place itself - it's for its parking arrangement. As of recently, parking is no longer free of charge. If you plan on staying over 30 minutes, you'll be shelling out an additional $2 for your visiting experience: a platoon of new, dark blue metallic permanent signs announce that if you haven't been over there lately. That might not sound like a lot at first glance, but Kimco Properties - the ones who run the center and its associated parking - apparently decided the answer to "How Can We Make More Money?" to be "Charge for what used to be free." In all the years that Weingarten, the previous owners, held the area, there was NEVER a charge to park. I shudder to think what the first tow will be like for a customer who overstays by 15 minutes. Or will there be violation stickers...or booting? You can get creative with alternatives to paying, of course. You can take the bus, bike over, or park and walk, especially if you're over there often. This is a bad decision for businesses in the center, and I feel bad for them. Get your money somewhere else, Kimco. Don't push it down to ordinary customers. read more

James is a rock star. He easily found a book that I had been told was not available in the store. On July 4, 2024 I went to Barnes & Noble in search of Omar Tyree's new book "Control." I had called earlier and spoke to someone who told me that there was a copy of the book in the store earlier but she could not find it. I decided that I would go to the store and look for it myself. I wasn't in the store two minutes before James offered to help me. When I told him that I was looking for Omar Tyree's latest novel, he stood up, got the book off the shelf and handed it to me. He was so professional and polite. I was elated. I went home and began reading. The book is fantastic. Tyree takes you on a psychological journey like no other. I am planning on having my book autographed by Tyree next week. James made it possible. He rocks. read more

I barely go into Barnes & Noble, but I had received a gift card their for Christmas. To avoid paying for shipping, I picked up at this location. Everything went well. The staff was helpful, pickup was label accurately. I probably won't be back soon. I got a stack of books to read, but it was a lovely environment. read more

I was not pleased with the selection of children's books at all. There are so many books with witches and wizards or space alien monsters. If it wasn't that kind of book it was something about the alphabet people or race related. I didn't see any good Christian books or Something like Tom Sawyer. Society is ruining the minds of our youth. read more

Long live the bookstore! Preferably a local bookshop when available but I'm not going to turn down a fun trip to Barnes & Noble any time soon. Most of my Houston visits with family include a visit to this Barnes and Noble complete with a large clearance book section, wealth of management / self help books, fun gift crafting kits for the kiddos like paper airplanes 101 and paint your own pet rock, as well as top sellers of the moment. This particular location offers two stories of exploration and an in-house Starbucks cafe which seems to be the norm these days. The staff we encountered were a-okay but not nearly as helpful and attentive as you'll often find in a moms and pops bookshop. This location makes it very walkable with several other stores and restaurants along this strip and a stones throw to oogling the homes of River Oaks. Happy reading and exploring to you and yours. read more

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Oh, how I have missed holding a physical book and flipping through its pages while reading something truly enjoyable. Normally, I'd just read books from my kindle ebook. But, I forgot how different it felt from a beautiful hardcover book. Well, Barnes & Noble reminded me of this. I loved coming here during the holidays, as Christmas music was playing in the background. I truly enjoyed reading my books from their second floor overlooking the shopping center. It was so relaxing. I did want to wait a bit to buy the books that I found. But, they definitely were worth reading. Parking was a little tough, since there weren't that many parking spots available outside. I got lucky and found one. I don't know about their parking garage, though. Starbucks, of course, is available inside B&N. Next time, I'll get a lovely holiday drink while reading my books. I do wish there were still more of these B&N around. read more

Barnes & Noble - Oh, how I missed the feel of books as I'm reading them, and the lovely background music of a bookstore. - Bookstores Near Me - Houston, Texas

Old school bookstore in River Oaks Shopping Center -- who CHARGES for PARKING! UGGH!

It's one of the last brick and mortar B&N's in town. With that being said they could basically just call it a huge ass Starbucks on the ground floor, with a few books in the remaining space. The footprint is large for the River Oaks strip center but the B&N space is mostly Starbucks if we are being honest. That seems almost unnecessary to have that much space devoted to hipsters using their Apple products in public to share their derivative, inane ramblings on the tweetbooks and facepages that are mostly distilled from Malcolm Gladwell's freshman level analysis of an introductory level Sociology textbook designed for 16 year olds that read rill gud. Taking the escalator up to the second floor you are required to listen to them pontificate loudly, as the escalator runs along the edge of the huge ass Starbucks "barrier" separating the coffee from the books. There is a small "top sellers" section on the ground floor, a few aisles of the deeply discounted "last chance" books by the registers, and then a whole bunch of music and films to round out the ground floor. This does not look like a book store from five or ten years ago, one of those old timey kinds of stores that actually had rows and rows of those paper things you could pick up and read. Thanks Obama. I was able to pick up Murakami's latest here for a last-minute buy to accompany me on a trip out of town. So it's not completely useless when you want a real paperback to hold in your hands rather than just another icon to click on your iPad. But they should really think about adding in more books and reducing the size of the coffee thing - I came here for books, not to see hipsters in their natural habitat with their crazy beard hair flying every which way. read more

I've always had a great experience at this Barnes and Nobles. I am an avid book lover, so I visit B&N wherever I can. This one is HUGE--two stories with escalators (and elevators I think but not sure) and a Starbucks. I have found many books I've been looking for at this location and I love the huge browsing selections. I haven't had much interaction with staff here since I usually just browse on my own. Excited to go back soon! read more

This continues to be my favorite bookstore in Houston. The variety is great and the staff is very helpful. I can usually find what I'm looking for in store or I can go to their website and order it. Walking in here reminds me of days before e-readers (just have to avoid the Nook section to get this feeling). Overall, it's lovely. read more

Even though it's cheaper and more convenient to buy books through Amazon, I have always bought my books at Barnes and Noble because I wanted to support a "Brick and Mortar" store. No more. I just went to the B&N on West Gray and had a most unpleasant experience. I am a (soon to be former) Barnes and Noble Premium Member. Because I've spent about $110 dollars on books in the last couple of months, I am due a $5 reward. When I went to buy two books today, I naively asked the bookseller if he could tell me what my balance was to see if I had a reward. Little did I know that it would be such a difficult task for the bookseller. Despite having the actual membership card with me (i.e. I didn't need to provide them with a phone number), they refused to honor the reward that showed up on the card that I handed to them. Apparently one of the booksellers had entered a wrong (fake) email address for my account instead of the email address that B&N had (and have had for years). The manager (a young, African-American man) told informed me that not only would they refuse to honor my reward, but that I would have to call customer service on my own to straighten it out. When I asked him why he couldn't do that, he initially lied and said "I can't do that." I then asked him "You can't or you won't?" He replied "won't." I then made the mistake of calling B&N's customer service. The woman who spoke with my spoke very poor English, and her "solution" was to "fix the problem" (i.e. the problem that B&N created and that the manager was too lazy to fix himself) and to refer me to somebody else to repeat the same complaint I had just made to this customer service rep. As "Carol S" said about a month ago, I wish I could give this store a "negative star." I tried my best to resist the temptation of Amazon, but B&N (and specifically the a-hole manager and the incompetent customer service rep (who actually had the audacity to raise her voice to me) have made this an easy choice. Bye bye Barnes and Noble! read more

This a great bookstore if you are looking for books that you can feel in your hand, vrs viewing on your Kindle. The prices are higher than I can find online, but you get the book immediately rather waiting for delivery. The employees were helpful. read more

the folks who work here are so nice. i had a tough time the other day, as i was nonverbal and needed help finding a book. a lady helped me order the book i needed and it arrived a few days after. i will be returning! read more

If this place could improve their parking, it would be awesome. But I love books so no matter if the parking is less than ideal, I'm going to frequent this store. It stays pretty busy most of the time but during the week like mid afternoon is when I noticed it's slow. I've ordered books online and did the in store pick up around a handful of times and the process is always easy. The store stays well stocked and the employees I've encountered have been nice. Although I have noticed a time or two that they will avoid customers if they can lol Other than that, this location is on point. read more

This B&N is smaller than our store in New Orleans, but the staff was incredibly pleasant and helpful. I was looking for a pretty specific book that they helped me to locate personally, of which they had two copies! I'm not really awesome about asking for help in a store like this, but I was with my lovely father who has a very short attention span and this store has a different setup than our one back home. So when looking for their wedding section, I asked another staff member who was sweet, and left what she was doing to show me where it was! Check out was quick, and we were out of there in no time. Thank you to the pleasant staff, and if I'm not Kindle-ing it up, I'll come on by when visiting Houston. read more

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This is perhaps the best bookstore in the Houston area! Two floors of any type of book or topic you may be interested in you can literally spend a whole day here without getting bored! With the advent of Amazon it seemed as if these chain bookstores would crumble and fold. Borders is a great example. But fortunately for us we still have this flagship Barnes and Nobles located smack dab in the middle of River Oaks, a posh affluent area in the big town of Houston, Texas! Whenever I'm out in this area I love to plant myself here and while away some time catching up on some of my favorite reading. You have a nice cafe if you get hungry and right next door Americas if you want something different. Plenty of cozy seats and tables for you to relax in, bring your laptop and enjoy a relaxed weekend. Weekends are pretty full in this place with families and millennials who co-habitat in peaceful harmony! Bookstores and libraries are probably my favorite haunts and this is perhaps my favorite in town! A great place to relax on the weekend! read more

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B & N and I used to have a past. Not one of those dark pasts, but one of those cute pasts, nothing too close but the occasional drink, chit chat, nothing too serious. I was young, I wanted to be free and explore. I've experimented with small coffee shops, I messed around with BIG coffee shops, explored with local joints, even went crazy and went to not so savory spots, but my path with good ole B & N's time has come. No starry eyes, but a little wink, and that was all that needed to be said to bring us back together. read more

I tried to give BN my business but they don't want it apparently. I was looking for a book (it's a boring tradebook, nothing interesting) and online saw that BN had it for $73 vs. amazon.com's $72. I figured, it's only a $1 difference, and I'll just drive there to pick it up and help out the local bookstore. After being told the book didn't exist by the helpful hipster there, he took me to the general direction of where it WOULD be and sure enough, there was an empty box that I could take up front and they did in fact have one. Just to make sure, I asked for the price and it was $89 all of a sudden! $16 is $16...so I told them I'll look at it online again to see if I made a mistake. It turns out it's not a mistake. The corporate response was: Dear Customer, Thank you for contacting us regarding online prices vs. retail store prices. Barnes & Noble usually is able to fill your order from our website with less expense than our full-service retail stores, and we pass those savings on to our online customers. This is why our prices online sometimes are lower than you will find in your local Barnes & Noble store. Similarly at times, your local store may offer exclusive promotions that are not offered on our website. Therefore, we regret that we are unable to match the prices. We appreciate your understanding. Please let us know if there is anything else we can do for you. That is a load of bullshit. The store is there regardless of whether I stop by or not. It is a fixed cost for as long as BN decides to have a physical store. Even if they don't advertise the online price, the least they can do is match the price of their own store! I did end up ordering the book online. From amazon. If I'm going to order online, I might as well stick to the people I'm familiar with...and I can use that extra buck for a tea refill. read more

It's your typical run of the mill Barnes & Noble but it's a great location. At the same time, it really sucks that the old corner was demo'd for a parking garage and a corporate bookstore but at the same time, it'll bring in a lot of new business to the area. What makes it funny is that there's a Starbucks inside BN, just outside and across the street. The famous starbucks corner of West Gray. I'm just glad to know that BN has free wifi now so you can sit, relax and enjoy your time there. Not to mention there's ample chairs and spaces to sit. I'll be going here for awhile as it's not TOO crowded by people yet. It's clean and there's a Jamba Juice next door if you want something besides coffee. Check out all the stores in the River Oaks area while you're at it. YATTA! read more

I really like that this Barnes and Noble is very spacious and has lots of area where readers can lounge and study. The aisles of books are very spacious and I love the variety and numerous books from each author. I know I can find what I need here, but that's not saying that you can't find the book you're looking for in other locations, but if you're interested in stumbling upon a book that you've never read before by an author you like.. then this place is the definite place to visit. The store is very clean and tidy and not too cold. I love that it's not utter silence when you're here, but it's quiet enough to study and get some work done. read more

Barnes & Noble - Bookstores Near Me - Houston, Texas

Awesome Location A lot of beautiful women Great/fast Starbucks inside Two Floors Lots of toy/Legos Place was packed with business/people studying. Bathroom on second floor bleh! read more

Barnes & Noble - Outside - Bookstores Near Me - Houston, Texas

This is a really different location (from any other BNN location I've been to). It's two stories and has a wonderful cafe area! Don't forget to hit up their clearance/sale books. I was here to purchase a specific book as a gift. They had sold out but an associate was kind enough to find another store who had it in stock and call them to place a hold for me. I ended up going right over to pick it up. My friend loved the book (which was a devotional). read more

It's great to still have an actual bookstore in spite of the ease of online ordering and electronic books. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for actual books. It's not quite the same reading on your iPad or electronic reader. And this store is conveniently located in the river oaks area with plenty of parking. There is a huge parking structure and you will always find a spot. It's also next to a lot of restaurants and stores. I've spent a lot of time in the coffee shop inside this bookstore working on reports and catching up on emails. They have lots of tables and they serve Starbucks coffee. Now, please take note that it's not exactly like a regular Starbucks and your SB card won't work here. The great thing is that they offer other items that is not on the regular SB menu. Like flatbread pizzas, soups, and delicious pastries. I have to take a moment and mention that there is one lady here that is just sooo sweet and efficient- Catherine. She is always smiling and even though some of the other workers are not particularly in a jolly mood, she never fails to be cheerful and even remembers the names of their customers. She gets an A++++ for customer service. As for the workers at the bookstore, well... some of them don't really give off too friendly of a vibe. One huge issue I've had is with their wireless connection. Lately, it just won't let me connect and I've requested the bookstore personnel to help but some of them don't really seem to want to make the effort. I guess it's good that there are two other Starbucks locations within walking distance. All in all though, this store is a great place and I hope that they stay in business for a long time. Long live books!!! And coffee! read more

Great place to grab a coffee, a brownie, a book, a chair, a table, an electrical outlet (for your laptop) while you study, read, watch, surf, eat, sip, slurp, procrastinate, waste time, browse, and people watch. Basically, everything you could want in a bookstore, especially for one of the newest ones in Houston! read more

Barnes & Noble - Bookstores Near Me - Houston, Texas

This is probably one of the better B&N in the Houston area. It has 2 levels, so it's spacious and has plenty of chairs, nooks and crannies for casual reading on those lazy days. Of course they have free wifi as well. Starbucks downstairs has plenty of tables to study or read, but upstairs is my favorite area, grab a chair and a good book to browse while facing the windows overlooking River Oaks Shopping Center and W. Gray. Customer service has always been helpful and friendly on all my visits here. Look for the discounted books and games in the bins behind the escalator on the first floor for bargains up to 75% off. read more