Crossgates Gets Its First Bookstore in 15 Years: A Barnes & Noble Visit
In July of 2025 I posted on Instagram photos of my kids at the Lego store and one of the shoe stores at Crossgates Mall. My caption was, "Still no bookstore at Crossgates." Indeed, I had been complaining about this for years until alas, it was announced a Barnes & Noble would be opening in the fall of 2026!
The last time Crossgates had a bookstore was Borders in 2011. The mall announced via a press release in February of this year that a Barnes & Noble was coming and would be located on the upper level near REI.
Although I was unable to make it earlier in the day for when they opened the doors, and I missed the book signing with Laurie Gilmore (I have read The Pumpkin Spice Cafe), I did ensure I got to visit the store on the day they opened, October 28.
The first thing I noticed was how it was tucked away to the side like a typical big-box store, so it kind of has its own little quiet space in front of the store away from other stores. The second thing I noticed upon walking in was how large it was.
If you've ever been to Lyrical Ballad Bookstore in Saratoga it feels like there's an endless maze of rooms of books, and that's kind of what this Barnes & Noble felt like, except more open. I kept turning corners expecting to reach a wall, but it was just yet another section of books.
Dare I say this is a nicer Barnes & Noble than the ones in Saratoga and at Colonie Center! The layout makes it feel almost like an independent bookshop, except bigger, with the selection you'd expect at a chain bookstore.
Sections I saw included New & Noteworthy, Fiction, Nonfiction, Mysteries & Thrillers, Horror, Romance, Young Adult, and Young Readers, plus magazines, gift items, toys and games, Christmas items, and I'm sure I'm missing a few things.
It did take me awhile to find one of the books I wanted - Look What the Cat Dragged In by Jason Rekulak, which came out recently. I did not see it in Horror, Mysteries & Thrillers, Fiction, or New & Noteworthy, but finally found it on a table display. It was likely in one of the other spots as well earlier.
Just as with the Colonie Center Barnes & Noble, there's both a mall entrance and an outside entrance, with registers near each, and there's a cafe.
I'll be coming back for sure - probably every single time I make a mall visit. We always go to the SantaLand here because I used to work for them (I can say, "Santa, I know him!" and really mean it), and we love bringing the kids. And, my son has a birthday party coming up at Dave & Buster's that I may be taking him to. So I'll be seeing you real soon, B&N!
