The man who built up the Barnes and Noble legacy, Leonard Riggio, has died

While brick-and-mortar bookstores may feel like they are vanishing quicker and quicker every day, Barnes & Noble has held strong, even in the face of Amazon, which has drastically cut their business over the years. And sadly, the man who helped to build the brand into what it is today, Leonard Riggio, has died.

According to NPR, a statement was released by Barnes & Noble about their former leader in which they shared that, "his leadership spanned decades, during which he not only grew the company but also nurtured a culture of innovation and a love for reading." While Riggio stepped down from his role as the chairman of the company back in 2019, he was still at the heart of the company in many ways, after all he changed the way the publishing industry worked when he grew Barnes & Noble into the mega bookstore chain that it once was (and still mostly is).

Although Amazon has definitely overtaken the brick-and-mortar store in terms of book sales and relationship to the world of publishing, it is hard to deny that Barnes & Noble is still a major player in its own right. And a lot of that is thanks to Leonard Riggio and the hard work that he put into the company after purchasing the name in 1971, as well as the flagship store that was located in Manhattan. By the 1990s, he had created a bookstore empire that welcomed readers in with cozy chairs and couches.

Leonard Riggio built the Barnes & Noble brand into what we know today

While Barnes & Noble was once thought of as the big dog that was taking down the independent booksellers, once Amazon came on the market, Riggio's company was actually seen as more of an ally to the smaller chains in the fight against the internet giant. Where once Barnes & Noble was the titan of the industry, they soon became like a big brother, lending their support to smaller sellers and authors. By the time Leonard Riggio stepped down from his role with the company, he and former business enemies were supporting each other at appearances and making it clear that in the fight to sell books in a brick-and-mortar location, there is room for more stores.

Sadly, Riggio passed away on August 27 at the age of 83 following a battle with Alzheimer's disease. But his legacy remains and in that, we can only hope that Barnes & Noble continues to fight against the tide of Amazon and its efforts to shut down the smaller bookstores.