This is a marvelous and humungous bookstore. It's modern, neat and so nicely organized. The first floor is full of amazing Vanderbilt merchandise like apparels, bags, bottles, cups, caps, stationary and so many other types. They also some sports specific ones like golf and basketball. Prices are much higher as it is for all university products. I found their merchandise excellent quality and very well designed. The branding is spot on. On the second floor they have thousands of books. The shelves are divided by genre and subjects. The escalator to second floor was broken when we were there, but we took the elevator. My daughter found a children's book that she really liked. It was only $6. Checkout had a line, but we didn't take more than 10 minutes. Staff members were friendly. Overall we enjoyed wandering around the bookstore. read more

See all

The good: lots of selection of books, clothing, and Vandy swag. The bad: everything seems to be really pricey, and staff seemed to be busy with stocking and returns instead of helping customers. read more

Had to stop and pick up some Vandy gear! Great selection of shirts, hats, hoodies, and so much more all in men, women & children sizes and options! I had extremely helpful service in finding items and help making my selection. read more

See all

This is a spacious on campus book store that is upstairs and downstairs. They have several school items and the books you may need. They offer limited parking in the front and it's near some great places. The store is well lit. The customer service is lacking. When you enter you are not greeted and while shopping there is no one there to help. Be braced to figure things out on your own. There are staff working, but they appear focused on conversations or tasks. The prices are a bit high but they offer a limited clearance area. They have a nice general book area with tables and a kids section as well. Hope you enjoy. read more

Vanderbilt Bookstore - Bookstores Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

This is a great book store that is part of Vanderbilt. I went here because I wanted to get sweatshirts and t shirts for my family. The employees were super helpful and there were many to choose from. I love Champion products and they had them so it worked well! Also if you download their app you get 20% off the most expensive item- so that helped a lot! They have two floors and the clothing is upstairs and that was good. I had a chance to peruse the items and look through each area carefully. Clean store too! read more

See all

Love this book store! And plus you get a discount if you're a Vanderbilt employer- can't beat that! Parking can be a hassle here but i try to go during random off hours read more

With this Starbuck's location being right on Vanderbilt's campus, this is very convenient for students and campus worker's. It is placed inside their Barnes and Noble, making it great for With there being at least 2 other Starbucks on West End, I recommend just going to one of the others. Being at Barnes and Noble the selection is just so limited, and the service isn't as great. read more

Vanderbilt Bookstore - Medium hazelnut latte - Bookstores Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

This Barnes and nobles is awesome ! First you can get free parking by parking in the garage and getting it validated. I believe if you park on the 3rd floor (need to check on that) you can just walk right in to the building with Barnes and Nobles entrance connected. If not just park near the elevator and take it up to the right floor. This makes accessing the store so convenient ! You get 4 hours of free parking ! Then there is a big cafe area with lots of seating and they regularly have events like poetry readings and things of that nature since it's a Vandy store. Because it's a Vanderbilt store they have lots of office supplies, school supplies and clothes even for the students. They even have textbooks! But even if you are not a student (like me) you can still benefit from the addition of cool stuff for your apartment and supplies . You also can join the drink rewards program by downloading the app. Besides those benefits you get the usual amazing customer service and atmosphere of Barnes and Noble. I love coming here and finding new books. I'd rather buy books here than amazon because I can start reading it immediately and it supports a place I love visiting! read more

The starbucks in here is absolutely horrendous. I don't know what happened in my ice coffee but there was definitely a gender reveal in it and it was horrid. read more

Solid and well air conditioned store loaded with Vandy swag which is to be expected as it is a block from Vanderbilt University. Starbucks inside was quick and friendly. Good place to just chill and charge. Bathrooms were clean and the staff in the store were beyond friendly. I would come here again and I plan to do so. read more

DO NOT BUY TEXTBOOKS! I have used them twice, and both times were disasters and they did nothing to fix their errors. First, they listed all the wrong textbooks for my section, as a result of which I prepared for the wrong classes, wasn't able to get my books in time for classes (some took weeks to get materials), and I lost hundreds of dollars. I was never even given an apology from the store, but was rather told they don't make mistakes (the school administration apologized for the bookstore's mistakes, but didn't actually help). Later, I ordered a used textbook, it took weeks to process, and I was then given a new one at a new price, at which point it was too late to pursue other options. The store gave no notice at sale that they were increasing the price at sale. The website and phone number are also constantly broken. This store is a waste of time and energy. Buy your textbooks elsewhere. read more

I like this bookstore and it's my usual go to for Vanderbilt swag but I had a weird interaction with super rude staff members. They were standing in a corner talking to each other, and I asked if there was another fitting room (since the one downstairs was closed). They: (a) seemed annoyed that I had asked them anything, (b) they guy simple and rudely said "no" and turned back around without any additional context and (c) went back into the gossiping I had interrupted about marketing, managers, and other important matters. read more

Honestly, I find it difficult to give any brick and mortar bookstore less than a good review. There aren't many left, and that makes me sad. I was excited to learn that Barnes and Noble took over this former Border's and made it more profitable by incorporating Vanderbilt's swag and school bookstore. Over Christmas, I was able to get a child's book for my nephew without paying shipping charges or risking a late delivery; I'm very glad this store is still here! I understand that some of the reviews gripe about a lack of selection, but I don't think most book stores are going to have a huge selection in the online/kindle world that we live in now. I understand that frustration, but I'm just glad we have a book store on West End! read more

As a student, I'm sure the review would look a lot different, but as an adult out of college and looking to peruse books, this place is just okay. I love going into book stores, walking through the shelves and browsing at the books. Half of this store (or more!) is dedicated to Vanderbilt apparel/goods, and other items for college students. I understand it's the university book store, but I think it could be arranged better. The store is 2 floors, but half of the 1st floor is books and half is Vanderbilt gear, and half of the 2nd floor is books and half is Vanderbilt gear. I think it would make a lot more sense to have one floor dedicated to books, and one to Vanderbilt paraphernalia. The store would also benefit from additional registers on the 2nd floor. Good amount of seating available in the Starbucks café. read more

A million years ago, back when I was in school, we had our campus store smack dab in the middle of campus. At said store, you could buy any number of books, hoodies, license plate holders, school stickers, etc. and interact solely with fellow Commodores. Parking wasn't an issue and roaming around said store in varying states of sleepwear was the norm. That was then. Now the campus store has merged with a major book retailer. It sits on West End and shares a parking lot with any number of fast food eateries. Parking is... unpleasant. You can still buy any number of hoodies and license plate holders but the school stickers are now cheap decals and if you want something more substantial, rather than finding it in-store, you need to go online and hope/pray/hunt. Spoiler alert: the old car stickers don't exist. I don't know if book buying is as easy/convenient as it used to be but from what I have eavesdropped during my visit, the kids these days go online to buy books. They come to the campus store to buy magazines and coffee. Oh, and the varying states of sleepwear? Unless you don't want a citation, take a shower or, at least, put on some street clothes. This amalgamation is fully open to the public and the public, it seems, are the largest sect of consumers. Having the store open to the public and taken out of the nesting core of campus, takes away the specialness of the experience (in my estimation). I'm sure there was a larger economic consideration for the merger. Thing is, folks wanting a campus store don't want to deal with a big box book retailer. And people wanting a big box book retailer don't want to deal with college kids and their parents. As far as first world problems go, this is up there but if we're talking in first world generalities... it's ok. read more

This store is massive compared to the Barnes and Noble I had on my campus (that I actually worked at!) It is two floors and has everything you can think of from clothes to books for classes to dorm room essentials. It even has a Starbucks café in it which I had to stop at. It has everything Vanderbilt you can think of. The only thing is be ready to spend a TON of money. My boyfriend and I just purchased a baseball cap and an ornament and it was over $60. I did like how they had a section with all academic books as well as a section for novels to read for pleasure. Overall, if you need anything Vanderbilt or for your dorm in a pinch this is the place to go. read more

My kids and I have been coming here for several years, mostly to use their cafe and see the kids books. Well, before COVID-19 anyway. The employees are wonderful and always go out of their way to help. The only negative about this location, now that Americans don't seem to buy books anymore, they have eliminated many of their books and magazines, and the magazines that are left on the rack are outdated and crappy. As for some people complaining about the store not being dog friendly, I'm not sure why people feel entitled to bring non-service dogs into stores, especially as other customers could be allergic to dogs. read more

Vanderbilt SWAG all in one place. Since our world is a global economy you can find almost any school stuff online, but here you see, touch, buy and have all in 15 minutes. My favorite part of this establishment is that they cared what my child wanted. He said he wanted a particular book and they got it for him and started a conversation about it. Mind you it was the Stephen Hawkings book and it was interesting to see the employees having a nice discussion with a young teenager and offerred more suggestions on his Science journey. We can also thank Big Bang Theory, but whatever gets a child interested. Quaint store on a main street of Nashville, West End. Near Flemings, Starbucks, PF Changs, so parking can be a bit difficult. Use the parking garage and bring your ticket. Can get crowded on game day, but that is when college book stores are supposed to be crowded. They offer 10 percent off to students and employees. Their Christmas offerrings are wonderful for gifts if you have a Vanderbilt fan in your circle. Son loves their pastries and the coffee is very good and cheaper than the coffee places nearby. What is not to love about a book store? Wish it was larger. read more

This is no longer an actual Barnes and Noble bookstore. They have gotten rid of a lot of their books most of their magazines and it is now basically a Vanderbilt clothing store. read more

***Vanderbilt's bookstore is nice and features quality Vanderbilt branded apparel and desk/office items, but the store's variety is slightly underwhelming compared to other big name university bookstores across the country*** Like the university bookstore at Penn, Vanderbilt's bookstore is located in a Barnes & Noble. The Vanderbilt Barnes & Noble though is not as impressive as what you will find at Penn. Penn features a much greater variety of Penn apparel and branded merchandise as well as a nice food area where you can pick up snacks, drinks or even light meals for a quick break between classes. There is a coffee shop inside the Vanderbilt Barnes & Noble, but the one at Penn was more unique and felt more local. This bookstore is still nice though. They have a decent variety of apparel and a lot of the shirts are good though not high quality. While the apparel is decent, you just will not find the variety or uniqueness of apparel here that you would find at a bigger university bookstore like the ones at Stanford, USC or Wisconsin. Prices are okay and not too expensive and service was pleasant. Overall, this is a decent university bookstore but just slightly lacking in the variety of branded merchandise compared to other big name or Division 1 university bookstores across the country. Parking in this area is very hard to find. Your best option is metered street parking, but it seems like most of the meters around here do not take credit cards. read more

The staff here is so rude. We walked in 5 min before closing to grab one shirt and leave. As we were ready to walk out and pay for our shirt multiple workers came up and told us they did not want us to purchase because they were closed and did not care. read more

I popped into Barnes & Nobles to buy some new journals during my trip to Nashville. I'm a paper nerd and they carry my favorite brand of moleskin journals. I love buying new journals because they represent a fresh new start. I have journals all over my house and use them to write song notes. It's amazing how quickly they fill up and I enjoy flipping through them weeks, months and years later. B&N is a two level store with an escalator but I didn't go upstairs. On the bottom floor there's a Starbuck's café area with seating, popular book section and a sizable of their Nook and accessories area. In comparison to the service I've received at other places around town the guy who helped me at the counter was a 2/5. Yelp 365 Challenge: #201/365 (The Notebook) read more

HOLY SMALLEST BARNES & NOBLE!!! Unless you have your own reading material forget about it. Their interior designing book selection was a joke!!! Magazine area is 1 rack, (seriously??) The entire upper floor is Vanderbilt clothing! So if are looking for school team spirit clothing, this is the place to be. read more

Compared to other Barnes and Noble Bookstores and compared to Borders that existed in the city (before bankruptcy closed them all as they were liquidated), this particular B&N is relatively small in size. Your everyday cafe is downstairs, as are a number of regular everyday books and bestsellers. Additionally, on the lower level, there is a "tech" section where B&N is hawking the latest wares from Amazon - in particular the Nook, Kindle, and Kindle Fire. I won't get into how poorly reviewed by the tech blogs many of these products are... oops, I got into it. The upstairs of the bookstore is like a small Mecca for any Commodore fan. I wish the actual bookstore on campus had as many pieces of Vanderbilt gear as the upstairs of this B&N has. Seriously, the campus bookstore might actually be worth shopping in if they carried this many Vanderbilt paraphernalia. From men's wear to women's wear to children's wear to even doggie wear, this is the rockstar place for any Vanderbilt fan. So, go... get your "read" on, and buy a little bit of Commodore gear to support one of your local colleges in town. But, watch out for the crazy awful parking lot... just use the garage down by P.F. Chang's... you'll thank me for this. read more

I love Barnes and Noble! I love most bookstores to be honest! I stopped in this location to pick up some last minute gifts before Christmas (and to get a book or two for myself, of course)! The store was organized and clean. When we couldn't find something, we asked an employee of the store who was very kind and helpful! read more

One of the reasons I go to Barnes and Noble in general is they are dog friendly. I was told by the manager that this location is not.

I came for the WiFi, and I stayed...well, for the WiFi because I had just moved to the neighborhood and was awaiting my installation day for my current ISP. However, having spent multiple hours here several days a week for a month straight, I can say I never had a problem with the staff or any other patrons. The cafe area has ample seating. Even on a Sunday afternoon, I was able to find a seat in the crowd of hungover Vandy students. The cafe serves Starbucks coffee, but they have a wider selection of food and snacks. To be honest, I had one of the best iced chai teas I've had in a LONG time here. I also highly recommend the spinach & feta pretzel or the Reese's cookie (warmed!) read more

It's still not quite NOT the Vandy bookstore, but it's very much also a Barnes and Noble. The genre of literature and type of book bindings are very B&N until you get to the textbook area, but the selection of the former is a bit squeezed due to the square footage devoted to every imaginable kind of Vanderbilt shwag. Prices of non-textbook books are average for B&N, Vandy shwag is 30% higher than you'd expect except for the $14 generic Vanderbilt-branded t-shirts. Service is very friendly and attentive. read more

Since the close of Border's a few months ago, West End was sorely missing book store, and Barnes and Noble has teamed up Vanderbilt University for a combined bookstore/gear shop. To begin with, the place feels much more welcoming and service-oriented than Border's ever did. The staff is still a little green, but that will change. The layout is clean and simple, even though there is clearly a smaller selection of books than Border's ever did. Great to have a West End book store again, and B&N is always great. read more

Compared to other Barnes and Nobles I've been to, this place is relatively small. However, given the rise in Kindles and Nooks and iPads, limiting the size may be a prudent business decision in the long run. I didn't go upstairs, where they sell Vandy textbooks and campus clothing. I spent nearly half my working career in the textbook industry -- I had no desire to see what was offered. The downstairs is where the general books are. I expected the selection to be severely limited -- but I was pleasantly surprised at the offerings. When I was in there, there was a specific area (roughly a quarter of the whole first floor) dedicated to the selling of the Nook. They even seem to have the equivalent of a Genius Bar -- but it could be the way the staff in that section wearing identical uniforms that threw me. As usual, the cafe area was packed with students on their laptops. I had gone to the Starbucks a few storefronts up and that place didn't seem as packed as the cafe area here. I know I have to be back because there were a few books I had my eye on, as well as their magazines. read more

Anchor Down! Vanderbilt's Barnes & Noble is one of the best I've ever seen. The staff is friendly and accommodating. The apparel is top notch, and there are plenty of option. With ample parking available to patrons, I recommend you come here for some Commodores attire as soon as possible. read more

Large selections of Vanderbilt attires, school supplies, not so much on books. Might want to stick to Amazon... Lots of staff around the bookstore for assistance, at least on the second floor. There is a gigantic selection of Vanderbilt and Commadore paraphernalia. A little on the pricey end, but decent. Plus, discounts are given to all Vanderbilt employees and students. That's always a plus. One thing I will point out is that parking at this location is horrible. You be lucky to find a stall near by, but there is a garage in the back of the bldg. read more

Head upstairs for shirts!! Very friendly staff that went upstairs to find me a shirt I was looking for. Prices are what you'd expect from the University shop but they had a decent selection of kids stuff and looooooots for grown ups. Good size sale section as well. Plus, Starbucks and books. read more

Let's be honest, I'm a fan of books. All different kinds of books. I buy books, even when I have ten other books lined up as my next read. Maybe one day I'll get to reading all of them. I usually try an steer clear of this Barnes & Noble location, since parking is total crap and it's usually filled to the brim with Vandy kids. If you do manage to get a parking spot, don't expect any good finds inside. The staff members are never around, and when you do corner one, they are usually clueless. Needless to say, I try and avoid this book store and stick to ordering my books from Amazon. read more

The coffee shop pastries here are WAY better than Starbuck's patisserie. It always smells like cookies (danger!) and they sometimes have samples of drinks. Also, there is an excellent selection of healthy and unhealthy snacks. I also like the ever shifting seating area. The seats are in rows one day, at angles another, there were ergonomic ball chairs at one time, and then there are the days when we are reminded that the store is for students, who are picking up their textbooks so seating is limited or squished together to make room. There are outlets a-plenty, just lift the metal squares on the floor and bend way down to plug in your cords. read more

I'm thrilled that the Vanderbilt bookstore and Barnes and Noble paired up to use the old Borders location. The first floor is basically a Starbucks with lots of seating (packed with people on their laptops), an Amazon technology area, and then some books. The second floor has a children's area, more books, Vanderbilt stuff, and then textbooks for Vanderbilt students. Its nice, but I feel like the location is too small and they could use some more books. I do think that they used the space better than the Borders did though. Also, for those of you driving here, you might have trouble finding parking. The 2525 West End building has become very crowded, but apparently there's a garage under the chinese restaurant. As Gregory R. pointed out, this store should not be a Barnes and Noble store if they do not participate in Barnes and Noble discounts and specials. I also thought that the staff, particularly in the textbook area were not very friendly. A few minutes before closing time, the staff get a bit buggy and try rush everyone to the register or the exit. Would it kill them to let their customers finish their shopping and possibly stay open maybe 2 to 3 minutes past closing time?? Anyway, I'm sure they will work out the kinks... read more

So I thought having a computer terminal to look up locations of books on the shelves or simple availability in the store was standard in all large bookstore locations. Here it is not the case. It is pretty annoying. Still they have a pretty good store. Good selection and the guy at the help desk was nice and helpful. Good place to go if you want to wander some shelves, they really need to get some terminals so you can easily figure out whats in the store or get their own app so you can look up whats on the selves and where it's at on your own. read more

In general this place was pretty much what I expected. They did a nice job making the place look and feel different than the old Borders, but it's still very open and easy to find things. I wish it wasn't called Barnes and Noble though. They should use a different name for the campus bookstores. If you try to use discounts or coupons that would normally work just fine at any other B&N, they will tell you that this isn't REALLY a Barnes and Noble - well, it's a B&N, but not B&N, Inc or some BS like that. I'm not sure they really know either. I heard them give a different version of the same lines to about three people in line in front of me. Bottom line if that it seems pretty arbitrary and they just seem to say that none of the deals apply here which is pretty annoying. There should be a big sign somewhere that clarifies this if it's really the case. Parking is also a big pain. The very small lot is always full. read more

See all

Tops, hats and shorts with the gold V are in the ample clothing section of the new Vandy bookstore. The textbook room is big too, but the book section not. The little people can squeeze into the small kids spot and magazinephiles will likewise inhabit a little section. It wasn't hard to find the Steve Jobs audiobook among the few books on CD. This B&N is an abridged version of the fuller Barnes and Noble store in Cool Springs which is where I might go more often book shopping. read more

Although the book selection is on two floors and competes with Vanderbilt goods, this location has a solid selection. Downstairs is rather cramped, but provides some nice seating for coffee and a book/computer. I would of liked to see some plugs available along the seating in the back of Starbucks, though. WiFi speed is determinate on how busy the store is at the time. A very narrow staircase leads you to additional seating upstairs near the back checkout. read more