ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - Barnes & Noble is aiming to fill a void here starting Sept. 15 that Borders Books left when it closed in 2011. 

The major brick-and-mortar bookseller opened the doors to a 20,000-square-foot store – plus café – at 9 a.m. Sept. 15 at 8120 Elk Grove Blvd., next to Whole Foods Market, which opened Sept. 16. Both are in The Village shopping center. 

“It’s great to be a part of the community and we’re looking forward to connecting with customers about” the love of literature, Store Manager Stephanie Simon said. 

The store has about 25 employees, which varies depending on the season, Cluster Leader Jeremiah Ward said. 

“We’re very excited to open in Elk Grove,” said Janine Flanigan, vice president of store design for Barnes & Noble. 

Company officials have been talking about it for about three years, she said. Construction started in early April, Flanigan said. 

Customers will have tens of thousands of titles to choose from, which Barnes & Noble curated based on the interests of the community. 

Flanigan declined to say how much the store cost to build.

The store’s design is different than older stores, with “rooms” designated by 96-inch-tall bookshelves in most places. 

“These are tall bookcases,” she said. 

The segue between rooms, Flanigan said, has titles similar to adjacent rooms. 

And the design aspects of the store can be changed easily to accommodate trends, she added. 

Barnes & Noble in Elk Grove, in addition to books, has toys like Legos, gifts, journals, DVDs as well as music on vinyl records and CDs. 

The store, too, will be stocking NeeDohs, Flanigan said. NeeDohs are squishy stress-relievers that are popular with children. 

More than one person came to the grand opening for trading cards, such as Pokemon cards. 

Courtney Pierce was one. Pierce arrived at Barnes & Noble at 5 p.m. Sept. 14 to wait for the store to open. She was the first in line among more than 200 people. 

“Also, there hasn’t been a bookstore here since 2011,” Pierce said. “I grew up going to Borders, so I’m super excited to go check out everything they (Barnes & Noble) have.”

Books, science games and stuff for her children have her excited, too, she said. 

Author and greater-Sacramento-area resident Tarah DeWitt cut the ribbon on the store and inside signed copies of her latest book, “Lost and Found.” 

“Finding your local bookstore and having a nice safe place to go is imperative for any community,” DeWitt said. 

“I really love her as an author,” said Brenda Contreras after getting one of DeWitt’s books signed. 

Sacramento resident Cathrina Paclibar also came out for the book-signing by DeWitt. 

“I’ve heard great things about her book, so I wanted to snag my own copy and get it signed by her, too,” Paclibar said.