Browsing in a Theater
I’ve visited plenty of bookstores over the years, but my favorite is still the Barnes & Noble bookstore located in Rochester, Minnesota. There are two locations in the city. One of the stores is a typical chain, located within the local mall. But the other location is something special. The store is located in the old Chateau Theater downtown and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The theater opened in 1927 and hosted plays, operas, vaudeville acts, and both silent and talking movies. From 1940 to 1980, the theater was a cinema. Eleven years after the doors closed, Barnes & Noble reopened the theater as a bookstore in 1994. Since the theater is a historic building, the floor is supported by pillars so that the decorative walls were left untouched. The walls replicate an early French village and the ceiling is still painted the original dark blue. The ambiance makes for a pretty magical shopping experience. If you ever find yourself in Rochester, be sure to stop at this unique bookstore.
Another Cool Barnes & Noble Location:
I had relatives living in Maryland for a while, so my family visited them during spring break once upon a time. One afternoon, we made a stop at a B&N store that was inside a converted power plant. The décor is industrial and has elevators crisscrossing between the floors. If you’re near Baltimore, Maryland, it’s worth checking out.
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