SANTA MONICA, Calif. — In 2018, a longstanding Barnes & Noble outpost closed in Santa Monica.

It was during a time when the company, along with all brick and mortar book sales, was flagging.

In 2019, Barnes & Noble went through an internal restructuring and a new CEO, James Daunt, was brought on board.

Today, they’re seeing major growth and expect 50 new outposts to open.

According to the company, this growth has come in part from empowering booksellers in the bookstores with the power to decide about how the stores are run.