Independent bookstores across the country reported their strongest collective sales figures in over a decade this year, according to a trade association survey released this week.
Store owners point to a mix of factors: a resurgence of in-person book clubs, viral staff-recommendation displays, and what several described as reader fatigue with algorithmic recommendations from larger online retailers.
"People are telling us they want a human to just hand them a book," said one shop owner whose store has doubled its event calendar over the past two years. "It sounds simple, but it's clearly what a lot of readers were missing."
Industry analysts caution the growth is coming off a low base after years of decline, but agree that the trend line has meaningfully reversed for the first time since large online retailers began dominating book sales.