Bookstores, where thousands of stories live and thrive, come in all shapes and sizes. From Little Free Libraries in front yards to small independent bookstores to used bookstores with tattered pages and covers to international franchised companies, you’re never too far from finding a story.
Right across the street from Palo Alto High School, the beloved Books Inc. bookstore — one of nine, all in California — allows booklovers of all ages to explore reading, with a community-centered atmosphere and literary variety.
After it filed for bankruptcy in 2025, bibliophiles all over California dreaded the day Books Inc. would close for good. To prevent it from closing, it was recently acquired by Barnes and Noble, a multi-billion-dollar bookstore with 732 stores across the country as of March.
James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble — the largest bookstore chain in the world — oversees several major chains including Daunt Books and Waterstones in the UK, as well as Barnes & Noble in the U.S. Branched off of the latter, he oversees bookstore chains Books Inc. and Tattered Covers as well. He also manages the education tool SparkNotes, the digital reading platform NOOK, and the gift and craft retailer Paper Source, which can also be found at Town and Country.
Many readers feel uncomfortable having their local bookstore suddenly owned by a massive international business. Paly junior Fiona O’Neill thinks literature shouldn’t be monopolized.
“It [Barnes and Noble] is already a multi-million dollar company that dominates smaller companies,” O’Neill said. “Having smaller book stores is important so that not every store is controlled by the same company, like a monopoly.”
Barnes and Noble stores make up around 14% of all bookstores in California, and its national presence is still increasing. According to USA Today, it plans to open 60 more stores nationwide by June 2026.
“Barnes & Noble is enjoying a period of tremendous growth as the strategy to hand control of each bookstore to its local booksellers has proven so successful,” the bookstore chain stated in a 2025 press release. “In 2024, Barnes & Noble opened more new bookstores in a single year than it had in the whole decade from 2009 to 2019.”
Despite the unease of many Books Inc. lovers, preserving its own community-centered atmosphere was important, according to Daunt, above the financial expansion.
“These [Books Inc. stores] are very storied and rather remarkable bookstore chains,” Daunt said in a December 2025 interview with Modern Retail. “Which, for all sorts of reasons, have gone bankrupt and are closing — literally closing their doors and disappearing — and we [Barnes and Noble] are providing them a safe harbor, which we think is a worthwhile and important thing to do.”
Palo Alto Books Inc. employee Eric Polgar appreciates how Barnes and Noble allows each location to keep its own independent feel.
“I know when Barnes first acquired us [Books Inc.], they [wanted to do] a hands-off approach where they’re more or less just giving us the money to survive, but not doing a hostile takeover,” Polgar said. “I know the CEO also acquired Tattered Covers [bookstore chain]. Even there, he’s trying to do a lot more of the hands-off approach since he knows what draws people in is the independent feel. They want to remain available and homely for the local people.”
According to Polgar, after the transfer of ownership, Books Inc. has seen more customers and more sales.
“We [Books Inc.] are definitely getting a ton more books than before when we were in Chapter 11 bankruptcy,” Books Inc. employee Polgar said. “So, quite literally, we were seeing books disappearing from the shelves and not being replaced. Now that we actually have money again, we can have full shelves, which means that when people come in, they see the books and actually buy them.”
Polgar says that not only has the store bounced back into business, but so have Books Inc employees.
“We [Books Inc] quite literally wouldn’t have made it to 2026 without Barnes [and Noble],” Polgar said. “Being able to keep the job I love definitely benefits me.”
Despite Barnes and Noble’s increasing presence, O’Neill prefers independent bookstores not only for the ethics, but also for their selection of books and more quaint atmosphere.
“I feel like independent stores are more fun to shop at because there are more unique books and a wider variety of authors,” O’Neill said. “They have more niche authors to explore that I have never seen before. When I just feel like browsing, I like Bell’s Books downtown, or Linden Tree Books in Los Altos.”
Sophomore Nadine Chehadeh volunteers at the Friends of the Library Booksale at Cubberly Community Center every week, where she helps sell used books and toys. While she usually avoids chains altogether, buying her books second-hand, to her, any bookstore is important for keeping the love of literature alive.
“It’s so tender and affectionate to know that this book you’re holding holds experiences, memories, feelings, and impact in another person’s life as well as your own,” Chehadeh said. “There’s just so much fun in scouring a bookstore and so much joy when you land on a book you want.”
