The exterior of Barnes and Noble in Georgetown. Photo courtesy of Debb Hanks. The Georgetown Barnes and Noble was originally set to be open June 19. Then, July 31. Then, August 21. Then, October 30. Then, finally, November 6—the day after Election Day 2024.  Planning to introduce anything into the world the day after what’s arguably the most anxiety-inducing night of the year—and what could be an even more anxious series of subsequent days—isn’t necessarily ideal. A recent AP-NORC survey shows that about 7 in 10 Americans are anxious and frustrated about the 2024 presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Movies are trying to steer clear of Election Week openings, The Hollywood Reporter reported, as it could spell box office doom, and the threat of civil unrest is real. But after being in opening limbo for months, Barnes and Noble is moving ahead. Store manager Elisabeth Swift said that the store had to push a planned opening one more week due to a late inspection, and simply wants to open as quickly as possible.  “Opening the day after the election was certainly not by choice!” Swift told Washingtonian. “When we had to push one more week, it was going to be the next Wednesday. It just happened to be the day after the election. There was no particular reason for that date—other than construction timing.”  The Georgetown Barnes and Noble has planned activities for the entire month of November, with eight authors coming for book talks in the days following Election Day, including Evan Friss, I.S. Berry, Mae Bennett, Margaret Rodenberg, Jenny Adams, Stephen Spotswood, and K.T. Nguyen. There’s also a holiday Lego build event on Friday, November 8. Thien-Kim Lam, Lauri Williamson, Lisa Maxwell, Danielle Stinson of A.D. Rhine and more will visit the store later in the month.  If civil unrest does happen, Swift says, loss and prevention workers at Barnes and Noble would be the first to act and make recommendations for what to do. In the meantime, the store is preparing for business as usual. No judgment here: We’ve been waiting for Barnes and Noble to return to its old M Street location for so long, and we’re hoping it can help foster a stronger sense of community the way its Bethesda iteration once did. We just hope that the grand opening doesn’t get dampered by whatever happens the night before. The post Georgetown’s Barnes and Noble Is Opening the Day After the Election first appeared on Washingtonian.