Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, although it has been blamed by some for driving independent book sellers from the field, is actually the progeny of two very dedicated bibliophiles.
Way back in 1873, Charles M. Barnes started a book selling business out of his home in Wheaton, Illinois. Barnes apparently passed his love of books to his son, who in 1917 traveled to New York City, where he met G. Clifford Noble. Together they opened a small bookstore in the city, and a few years later expanded into what would become their flagship store at Fifth Avenue and 18th Street.
Barnes & Noble chugged happily along for the next few decades, but fell on hard times in the late 1960s, the beginning of a period that saw the extinction of dozens of independent bookstores in New York City. Fortunately, Barnes & Noble caught the eye of Leonard Reggio, a successful college bookstore owner, who bought the chain in 1971 and set out on a course of expansion that eventually would spawn more than 600 Barnes & Noble stores and a successful online presence, as well as almost 200 B. Dalton and Doubleday bookshops.
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