Leonard Riggio, book retail mogul, passes away

August 28, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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BROOKLYN — LEONARD RIGGIO, a 1958 ALUMNUS OF BROOKLYN TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 83 as a result of Alzheimer’s. Riggio was considered king of the castle in retail bookselling before large-scale ecommerce giants surpassed Barnes & Noble, his magnum opus. Riggio started his bookselling career in 1971 when he bought Barnes & Noble’s flagship store in Manhattan. Under his leadership, the company expanded nationwide, opening “superstores” that combined vast book selections with cozy reading spaces, according to NPR.

Riggio retired in 2019 after Barnes & Noble was sold to Elliott Advisors, marking the end of an era for the iconic bookstore chain. According to Brooklyn Technical High School’s webpage, he began his career selling books at an NYU bookstore.

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