00:00I've been working towards owning my own bookstore for since 2016, probably.
00:07I moved back from New York to open my own bookstore.
00:11Independent bookstores have been popping up across the country.
00:14Online retailers like Amazon offer convenience,
00:17but avid readers can still find solace in securing titles from a local seller.
00:22In 2024, more than 300 new independent bookstores opened across the U.S.
00:30That's the fourth straight year of adding more than 200 new bookstores nationwide.
00:35But is it a boom?
00:36I think that there's definitely a boom.
00:40I am the owner of Bibliobar Bookstore in Plano, Texas.
00:44Since I was 16, I worked in books.
00:46I worked at HarperCollins for about five years publishing.
00:50I worked at Barnes & Noble for about seven years.
00:53I had a subscription box for seven years.
00:55Chelsea Tresp opened Bibliobar with a soft opening in March
00:59and a grand opening for Independent Bookstore Day in April.
01:03She runs the store mostly by herself.
01:06Friends and family pitch in when she's in a pinch.
01:08And the store is a labor of love.
01:10Hi, y'all. I'm doing a Zoom interview.
01:12You're welcome to come in.
01:13But just so you know.
01:14And kids' books are back in the Blue Room.
01:17I can leave at seven, but I'm almost always here late.
01:20And I have a sign out normally that says, like, if the door is open or if the lights are on, come inside.
01:26Independent proprietors with a passion for books like Chelsea are a key catalyst for the boom.
01:32I'm a huge fan of independent bookstores.
01:34And my whole career has been dedicated to supporting them.
01:37Hi, I'm Allison Hill.
01:38And I am the CEO of the American Booksellers Association.
01:42I feel that they are critical to communities, to literacy, to democracy.
01:52I can really get on my soapbox around this.
01:55The American Booksellers Association has been supporting stores like Bibliobar for 125 years.
02:01They're championing voices.
02:03They are introducing people to reading.
02:08They're inspiring new generations of readers.
02:11They're promoting literacy.
02:12So they serve such a vital role in the world.
02:16But there are other factors at play.
02:18Amazon's industry dominance has been somewhat of a boogeyman for brick-and-mortar book purveyors.
02:24I think we've seen a continuation of what we saw begin in the pandemic,
02:29with people really wanting to shop in a way that aligns with their values.
02:32So we have customers showing up on independent bookstore day to say,
02:37I wasn't going to shop today, but I wanted to show up today to support you.
02:41Or I wanted to show up because I saw Amazon was having a sale today, and that made me mad.
02:45But Amazon's dominance indirectly created a void to be filled by local stores.
02:51National chain Borders filed for bankruptcy in 2011 and closed hundreds of stores.
02:56Online retailers and big chains work in volume.
02:59Small, local stores can offer a more personalized offering, or even focus on a specific genre.
03:06In fact, according to the ABA, 43 romance-specific bookstores have opened in the last year.
03:13I really work to have books that are discoverable.
03:18So books that you don't necessarily see all the time.
03:21I do a lot of local author books as well.
03:23And my bestseller every single month has been a local author.
03:26Reading is still a popular activity.
03:28According to an NPR-IPSIS poll, two-thirds of Americans have read a book or e-book or listened to an audio book in the last year.
03:36And the Association of American Publishers reported total sales grew last year.
03:42Even as technology changes, the NPR-IPSIS poll found 64% still prefer reading a physical book,
03:49while 21% prefer an e-reader.
03:52I think that, yes, it's a digital landscape and people love digital, but if you're on the internet at all, you know all about BookTok.
04:00Does anyone ever finish a book and think, what in the actual world was this author thinking?
04:05Most of the people that are showing books on BookTok or Bookstagram are showing the actual books.
04:12They're not doing digital.
04:13And if you prefer the convenience of your e-reader or an audio book, you can still go to a local shop and get a physical copy.
04:21That's called a book trophy.
04:23And hey, it looks a lot better on the shelf than a Kindle.
04:26If trophies aren't your thing, though, you can get the digital version at an independent seller.
04:31Your local bookstore is not just for physical books.
04:35You can do e-books.
04:35You can do audio books.
04:36You can support your local business and not sending Katy Perry to space by going to your local bookstore.
04:42Services like Libro.fm allow local bookstores to sell audio books,
04:47while Bookshop.org offers independent retailers the opportunity to sell e-books.
04:53Chelsea knows that running a successful local bookshop is a tall order.
04:57I mean, money is always a challenge.
04:59So I have to have a sign in my window that says how many books we have to sell a month
05:05to kind of help people understand what it takes to have a local business in your neighborhood.
05:11It's like my goal number, basically.
05:12But I've only been open for five months.
05:13I know it's going to take time to reach that number.
05:17But it's like $1,389.
05:19And I've been averaging about 500 books a month, maybe a little higher than that.
05:23Chelsea says customers worry because she is so far away from her goal.
05:28But she knows Biblio Bar is still growing.
05:30In fact, when she spoke with Straight Arrow News, her store was on pace to have a record month.
05:36For more in-depth reporting, go to SAN.com or download the Straight Arrow News app.
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