The Pandemic’s Boost to Bookstores

How can you not love this report from The New York Times?:

Two years ago, the future of independent book selling looked bleak. As the coronavirus forced retailers to shut down, hundreds of small booksellers around the United States seemed doomed. Bookstore sales fell nearly 30 percent in 2020, U.S. Census Bureau data showed. The publishing industry was braced for a blow to its retail ecosystem, one that could permanently reshape the way readers discover and buy books.

Instead, something unexpected happened: Small booksellers not only survived the pandemic, but many are thriving.

“It’s kind of shocking when you think about what dire straits the stores were in in 2020,” said Allison Hill, the chief executive of the American Booksellers Association, a trade organization for independent bookstores. “We saw a rally like we’ve never seen before.”

The paper makes clear the extent of these developments, saying that “more than 300 new independent bookstores … have sprouted across the United States in the past couple of years … And as the number of stores has grown, the book selling business—traditionally overwhelmingly white—has also become much more diverse.”

You will find the whole Times piece here.