A new Barnes & Noble is coming to Westminster, according to the book selling giant. It will be the store’s first location in Carroll County.

The store will cover nearly 20,000 square feet, with its signature B&N Café, a wide offering of toys and games, stationery items and, of course, books. The grand opening will be on July 30 at 9 a.m., with Baltimore area author B.K. Borison cutting the ribbon.

Another Barnes & Noble is expected to open in Anne Arundel County in September, according to a company spokesperson, barring any unforeseen permit and construction delays. The store will be located at Pasadena Crossroads and will be approximately 13,500 square feet.

Carmin Windsor, the store manager for Westminster, said in a statement she’s excited for events, book clubs and activities for all ages at the new store.

After more than 15 years of declining store numbers, the company is seeing “tremendous growth,” according to a news release. The bookstore chain is handing control of each location to its local booksellers, a strategy James Daunt, the company’s CEO, said has paid off.

“Our Westminster booksellers have been hard at work preparing a bookstore curated with their new customers in mind,” he said in a statement.

The Baltimore-area openings this year are a reversal of the bookseller’s recent closures. Three Barnes & Noble stores closed in the region in the last 10 years: one in Towson in 2017, one at the Inner Harbor in 2020 and more recently the Charles Village location. There are currently 12 stores in Maryland, according to the company’s website, including two in Baltimore County, two in Howard County and one in Anne Arundel County.

Following the string of closures in the Baltimore area, a Barnes & Noble store reopened in White Marsh in 2023 after a remodel. The Pikesville Barnes & Noble moved to a smaller location in 2022. Now, the chain is expecting to open over 60 locations this year, according to the press release — more than it opened from 2009 to 2019 combined.