New Barnes and Noble stores are interesting, yet weirdly sterile

The new Barnes and Noble concept store features a bar with espresso, beer and wine offerings.

I've always enjoyed visiting bookstores, even the big boxes, but I'm not exactly sure what to make of the new Barnes and Noble concept stores, which feature a restaurant and bar. We visited the new store in Folsom, which opened on Dec. 13, and it immediately struck me as a takeoff on the spectacular Powell's Bookstore in Portland, Ore., but with a big difference -- a full-service restaurant and bar.

For the most part, the new Folsom store is pretty well laid out and everything was easy to find. The entrance to the store features a big section of tables to browse, with bare concrete floors, but you get a pretty good command of what the store has to offer when you walk in. Gone is the big music and video section, replaced by a hefty offering of vinyl records. To me the two big sections in the traditional Barnes and Noble stores were the media and children's sections. Both are minimized here. In fact, the children's section here was very sterile and had zero charm and whimsy that characterizes traditional stores. When I was a young parent, Barnes and Noble's children's sections were fun to visit.

The history section was easy to find and I liked how the new Barnes and Noble Concept store in Folsom made it easy to find content vs. the traditional stores. 

We enjoyed a mocha and some cookies in the cafe area but it was interesting to watch people wander into the restaurant, and most seemed confused by the concept. Unlike traditional Barnes and Noble outlets, the Folsom store does not have a tie in to Starbucks or other brands, such as Cheesecake Factory desserts. Instead, this bar offers a range of espresso drinks, beer and wine. The restaurant part offers a range of dining choices, including some pasta dishes, and it seemed what was being brought out to customers seemed appetizing, but if you're looking to camp out in the coffee shop part of a traditional Barnes and Noble this isn't the place for you.

The entry, which was the part that reminded me of Powell's, is full of tables of best-selling books and what's hot in particular genres. The store doesn't feel as big as some traditional stores, which have often relied on non-book merchandise to power sales, and you won't find the big bargain sections that dominate the front of some of the previous stores -- at least from what I could tell.

The concepts are still rolling out and here are some links to coverage of the plan:

Fortune on Barnes and Noble
Sacramento Bee on the store's opening