Children’s book author and illustrator Salina Yoon cut a ribbon to open the Barnes & Noble during its grand reopening at the Marina Pacifica Shopping Center in Long Beach on Nov. 19. Jason Green | Long Beach Current

For Long Beach book lovers, the beloved Barnes & Noble in the Marina Pacifica Shopping Center has reopened to the community with a new look after a months-long renovation project.

Renovations began in May, with the grand reopening taking place on Nov. 19.

Staff welcomed back customers with children’s book author and illustrator Salina Yoon, who participated in the celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony and signed books at the store’s reopening.

The event also drew strong community support, including Councilmember Kristina Duggan of District 3, who reflected on the importance and value that community spaces such as bookstores bring to Long Beach.

“I love going to bookstores,” Duggan said. “That’s why when I walked in and just the smell brings back all the memories of bringing my, well, when I was a kid going to bookstores and then bringing my own kids to the bookstore…”

Those who visited the bookstore prior to renovations will notice significant physical changes upon reopening.

The store now only has one floor, located on the second story of the building.

Previously, the bookstore had a second floor downstairs, on the ground level, with a large children’s and music section.

The change now sees all sections organized onto one floor, and the in-store Starbucks has been removed.

There were a plethora of customers during the Barnes & Noble grand reopening at the Marina Pacifica Shopping Center in Long Beach, as seen here on Nov. 19, which now has only one floor. Jason Green | Long Beach Current

The sections seem to blend into each other – a customer can quickly go from browsing the horror section to finding themselves among a vinyl collection.

Replacing the bottom floor is nonprofit organization Interval House, which is a domestic abuse treatment center, according to Duggan.

The organization already has a presence in Long Beach, but its new location under Barnes & Noble is not open yet.

The original Long Beach Barnes & Noble location first opened nearly 30 years ago in November 1996.

Now, along with a new store layout, the bookstore also has a new store manager.

Luisa Guardado stepped into the position about a month ago and said she is excited about the role.

Guardado said she does not believe the removal of the bottom floor is a huge loss for the store.

“I do think this store is more designed now to have more face-to-face conversations with customers,” Guardado said. “It’s [a] more intimate shopping experience because we get to interact with so many more people as opposed to having a bigger floor map.”

The section where music and movies were previously downstairs in the old layout, but every section is now on one floor after the Barnes & Noble renovation in the Marina Pacifica Shopping Center in Long Beach, as seen here on Nov. 19. Jason Green | Long Beach Current

However, some customers are not completely fond of the change.

“I do miss the uniqueness of the old one,” said Isabel Wagner, who visited the bookstore several times a month before the renovation. “It had the double stories. It had the escalator. I feel like the individual sections for each genre were very unique and tailored like the kids section was almost like a playground and the manga section was extremely engaging.”

Wagner said the new layout feels like a generic corporate design and is slightly claustrophobic.

While Wagner shared her dislike of the new layout, she said the staff has put care into welcoming the community back.

“The other one [before the renovation] was more open and more cozy. It’s like for readers; this one’s for shoppers, almost,” attendee Ashleigh Wroten said.

Friends Isabel Wagner (left) and Kelsey Pilger attended the Barnes & Noble grand reopening at the Marina Pacifica Shopping Center in Long Beach on Nov.19, and said they miss the old layout. Jason Green | Long Beach Current

Isabeth Mendoza complimented the new layout.

“I don’t know, it feels nice and like more earthy and like clean-ish,” she said.

Yoon, the award-winning children’s author of hundreds of books, signed copies of her newest release, “Kat & Mouse: I Like Cheese!” while meeting customers at the grand reopening.

Yoon had only passed through Long Beach before her book signing, as she lives in San Diego.

“I would like to explore [Long Beach],” she said.” I mean, it’s a beautiful community, of course, and I look forward to returning. I’m hoping to do a story time event here at this particular store.”

Award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Salina Yoon met with customers and signed copies of her new book, “Kat & Mouse: I Like Cheese!” during the Barnes & Noble grand reopening at the Marina Pacifica Shopping Center on Nov.19

She said childhood literacy is important because it shapes people and makes them more empathetic.

“[Shaping children’s] feels amazing because I visit kids, all over the country actually, um, doing school visits and see the impact that I’ve made on kids and also just to be able to engage with them,” Yoon said.