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May 28, 2026

Independent bookstores are multiplying, although many people still think they're dying out

  • Membership in the American Booksellers Association grew by 540 over the past year, reaching 3,417 stores — the highest level since the late 1990s.
    • By HILLEL ITALIE
    AP National Writer

    Photo by Bekah Ford/Double Dog Bookshop via AP [enlarge]
    Owner Kelley Hartnett poses at her Double Dog Bookshop in Wentzville, Missouri. Hartnett says the shop is “about maybe 50% books and 50% community.”

    Allison Hill, CEO of the American Booksellers Association, is used to strangers expressing sympathy when they learn what she does for a living.


     
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