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Don't close the book on Barnes & Noble just yet. Contrary to popular belief, the chain of sprawling bookstores isn't just surviving in the age of Amazon -- it's thriving, with 30 new stores planned for next year.

It's not the only one. A bevy of old-school, brick-and-mortar retailers have either grown their physical footprints in the past 12 months or plan to grow in the next 12, as detailed in a Wall Street Journal feature published on Monday. The return of big box to the big time is in turn creating a post-pandemic boomlet for the commercial real estate market.

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Source Fool.com