With the pandemic having such a drastically negative affect on small businesses, the book world held its breath and waited to see how this would affect independent bookstores. Indie bookstores adapted remarkably well through online ordering and curbside pickup, but no one knew what the outcome would be for brick and mortar stores years into the pandemic.
The numbers are in, and the news is this: indie bookstores are thriving.
The New York Times reported an impressive rally after the slump of book sales in 2020, and a good 80% of bookseller respondents to a survey put out by the American Booksellers Association said that profits were up in 2021 from 2019-2020. Since our last post on indie bookstores to shop at online, penned by Christine Hoxmeier, over 300 new independent bookstores have opened. The even better news: many of these new indie bookstores are owned and operated by booksellers of color.
