[2] At the time of its opening in November 1980, in a converted building that had housed the Olympia bowling alley,[1][3] it was unchallenged in its claim as the biggest bookstore in the world.

Although it retained the name, the Guinness Book of World Records listed the Barnes & Noble College Booksellers location on Fifth Avenue in New York City as the largest bookstore in the world based on floor space, although Powell's Books of Portland, Oregon, is usually considered the largest based on shelf-space.

[4] On December 22, 2010, Maruzen and Junkodou Shoten opened a 73,000 square foot (6804 m2) bookstore in the Umeda district of Osaka, Japan, overtaking these other three in terms of floor space.

[6] In November 2013 it was announced that the property at 20 Edward Street had been sold to Lifetime Developments, and the store would close in mid-February and vacate the building by April.

[1] In February 2014, a press release by Paracom Realty Corporation stated that the site would be redeveloped and leased to four restaurants designed by Turner Fleisher Architects.