Independent Bookstores Are Growing, Not Dying, Data Shows

NEW YORK — The independent bookstore is supposed to be dying. That’s the narrative embedded in popular culture, referenced in films and lamented in casual conversation. But the data tells a very different story: independent bookstores are not just surviving — they are thriving, multiplying at a pace not seen in decades.

Membership in the American Booksellers Association (ABA) grew by more than 500 stores over the past year, reaching a total of 3,417 member stores operating at 3,783 locations. That figure is nearly triple what it was a decade ago and the highest level since the late 1990s, according to AP News.

A Boom That Defies Perception

The disconnect between public perception and reality is striking. Allison Hill, CEO of the ABA, says she regularly encounters people who express sympathy when they learn what she does for a living.

“It’s all so funny,” Hill told the Associated Press. “When I tell them I run the trade association for independent stores, they’ll say, ‘It’s just so sad that they’re disappearing.’ I don’t think they’re really keeping track, or they just know about a store that closed or heard about one closing.”

The growth is not marginal. In 2025 alone, ABA membership surged by 19%, with 605 new brick-and-mortar, pop-up, and mobile stores opening across the United States. According to the ABA’s 2025 Annual Report, membership has grown 151% over the past six years, and the majority of independent stores reported year-over-year sales increases for 2025 over 2024.

New Stores, New Formats

The resurgence is not limited to traditional bookshops. New members reflect the diversity of modern bookselling: general interest shops like Hey Books! in San Diego; mobile stores like the Wandering Quills Bookshop in Westerville, Ohio; pop-up stores like Banyan Books in St. Petersburg, Florida; and genre-focused stores capitalizing on the boom in romance, fantasy, and “romantasy” — including the Spicy Librarian in Denver and Flutter Romance Bookstore in Austin, Texas.

Many new owners are driven by more than profit. “I think people want to realign their lives with their values,” Hill said.

In Wentzville, Missouri, 55-year-old Kelley Hartnett opened Double Dog Bookshop in 2025 as a mobile store, operating from a converted cargo trailer with her two Australian Cattle Dog mutts. She has since opened a storefront downtown.

“For me, Double Dog is about maybe 50% books and 50% community,” Hartnett said. “People are craving connection, especially in-person connection. People are over the internet and virtual meetings and algorithms. They’re not the same as having a human to human connection. It feels really healing.”

A Resurgent Competitor

The independent bookstore revival comes alongside an unexpected development: Barnes & Noble is expanding again. Under CEO James Daunt, who also founded Daunt Books in London and manages Waterstones, the chain has added more than 100 stores over the past two years.

Daunt dismisses the idea that Barnes & Noble’s growth comes at the expense of independents. “I’m an independent seller myself,” he said. “I never thought of the market as finite.”

Some independent owners are cautiously optimistic. Heather Nelson and Sophie Schauer Eldred, co-owners of The Book Loft Oak Park in the Chicago area, opened last summer and face a new Barnes & Noble opening nearby. “We’re hoping people whose curiosity is piqued by the new Barnes and Noble will walk down the street and pop into our bookstore,” Schauer Eldred said.

Growth Amid Precariousness

Despite the encouraging numbers, Hill describes the landscape as “precarious.” Independent bookstores operate on paper-thin margins, and even small sales decreases can break a store’s year. Rising costs, tariffs, book bans, and Amazon’s continued market dominance present ongoing challenges.

“2025 was also the most challenging year for indies on record,” Hill wrote in the ABA’s annual report, citing rising costs, the impact of ICE and National Guard presence in communities, discriminatory laws, climate change, book bans, and free speech harassment.

The ABA has responded with expanded advocacy efforts, including lobbying for the Credit Card Competition Act to lower swipe fees, supporting federal ADA legislation to protect small businesses from frivolous lawsuits, and continuing antitrust efforts against Amazon.

What It Means

The growth of independent bookstores reflects a broader shift in consumer values. After years of pandemic isolation and algorithm-driven shopping, Americans are increasingly seeking curated, community-centered experiences. The independent bookstore — once written off as a casualty of the digital age — has become a symbol of that longing for genuine connection.

As Hill put it in her annual report letter: “The history of independent bookstores is filled with stories of disruption and threats. We are confident that the passion, purpose, innovation, and resilience of independent bookstores not only ensures their long-term survival, but represents the future we all need.”

For now, the numbers back her up. The obituaries for the independent bookstore, it seems, were written prematurely.