Here’s What is Replacing Bed Bath & Beyond in South Portland, Maine

The past couple of years had been incredibly unkind to the national retailer Bed Bath & Beyond. After a tumultuous set of circumstances forced the company to close all of its brick-and-mortar stores in 2023, vacancies were left behind in a few cities throughout Maine.

That includes South Portland, where Bed Bath and Beyond had been a significant piece of the Maine Crossing Plaza, alongside several other notable stores like Nordstrom Rack, Burlington, and Target. In May of last year, the company announced it would be closing the South Portland location permanently.

After a lengthy vacancy, something new is going into that empty space. According to WGME, It will be a new location of the Barnes and Noble bookstore chain. Barnes and Noble will join Sierra and Burlington as the newest tenants in the Maine Crossing Plaza.

Last year, Barnes and Noble opened their second location in Maine within the Merrymeeting Plaza in Brunswick. Ironically, a Bed Bath and Beyond store closed in that plaza last February. Since then, a new Planet Fitness location has taken over the vacated space.

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For Barnes and Noble, their migration into Maine has been slow and measured. The renowned bookstore chain opened their first location in Augusta a few years ago. They added Brunswick in 2023, and now South Portland in 2024.

Their South Portland location will have the stiffest competition they've faced. Both Target and Walmart are big booksellers, and a Books-a-Million location is only a short drive from the new Barnes and Noble.

As of this writing, there is no timetable for Barnes and Noble to open their South Portland location.