Furniture stores to replace Barnes & Noble at Pembroke Gardens. Reaction is mixed
.png "Screen grab of the former Barnes & Noble at 14572 SW Fifth St. in Pembroke Pines.")
Pembroke Gardens has locked in its newest tenants to take over a recently shut down community favorite.
Two high-end furniture stores — Pottery Barn and West Elm — are moving into 14572 SW Fifth St., at the former home of the mall’s Barnes & Noble.
The shopping plaza first announced the new retailers in late January, along with five other soon-to-come brands: JetSet Pilates, Coach, Aerie, Rowan and Williams Sonoma.
Signage placed by the Pembroke Gardens team now confirms the furniture stores will replace the bookstore with plans to open in the fall, per a March 22 The Broward Scene Instagram post.
Also on the billboard is a hiring call for part- and full-time employees.
Barnes & Noble’s closure was announced on Dec. 26 via the Pembroke Gardens location’s Instagram account, which cited the store’s lease ending as the reason for its shutdown.
The store held a 50% closing sale for customers until operations ceased on Jan. 18.
A sister location at 11820 Pines Blvd. is all that remains of the brand’s presence in Pembroke Pines.
Opened in 2008, the bookstore served as a community hub for Pembroke Pines’ booklovers for over 17 years, and its closure saw significant pushback online from regulars sad to lose the literary gem.
“This is really some of the saddest news I’ve received all year,” Chris Gardener commented under the store’s Dec. 26 announcement of its closure on Instagram.
“I used to work at the cafe there in college with my friend Victoria. This is where we met,” wrote Alyssa Luisa. “She’s since sadly passed away from cancer, but this place will always hold a special place in my heart whenever I think of her.”
“I’m so sad. My kids memories are all here,” Melissa Presser posted.
A petition on Change.org urging the brand’s executives to keep the store open garnered 644 verified signatures.
Two months later, the announcement of its furniture store replacements is getting mixed reviews online from loyal Barnes & Noble supporters and shoppers eager for new retail options.
“Are we for real? They got rid of Barnes and Noble for this, such a good space for something good and different not a Pottery Barn,” Amneris Rosero wrote under The Broward Scene’s March 22 post.
“Just what was missing in the area. I will not need to travel to Aventura anymore,” Iramis Viera wrote. “However, am still sad that Barnes and Nobles is gone. It was a nice store for families.”
“I’d rather it be a (Chuck E. Cheese) type or a nice cafe with area for kids,” Lily H. commented. “This mall needs something for the kids & families. We miss B&N.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 2:03 PM.
