422 new U.S. bookstores in 2025
A Los Angeles Times opinion piece reports that 422 new bookstores opened across the U.S. in 2025—a 31% increase from the prior year—and argues independents are thriving by offering spaces for learning, organizing, and respite. The piece frames the growth as significant for the community role of physical shops. (latimes.com)
U.S. bookselling kept expanding in 2025, with 422 new independent bookstores opening nationwide, according to the American Booksellers Association. (bookweb.org) That total was up 31% from 2024, when the trade group’s annual report counted 323 bookstore businesses opening. The new 2025 figure circulated this week in a Los Angeles Times opinion essay by novelist and bookseller Luis Jaramillo. (bookweb.org) (latimes.com) The recent rise is not a one-year blip in the trade group’s data. The American Booksellers Association said the number of independent bookstores in the U.S. has climbed about 70% since 2020. (fastcompany.com) (san.com) The trade group’s own survey also found that 73.3% of 382 responding members said their 2025 sales were up from 2024. Independent Bookstore Day, the annual spring promotion for local shops, drew more than 1,600 participating stores on April 26, 2025, and the association called interest a record. (bookweb.org 1) (bookweb.org 2) Store owners and the trade group have tied the growth to something more specific than nostalgia: events, book clubs, author talks, school partnerships, and other uses that turn a shop into a regular gathering place. In a January 31, 2025 policy handout, the association said members support local schools, promote literacy, host inclusive community centers, and connect readers with books and one another. (bookweb.org) The business case is broader than foot traffic alone. The American Booksellers Association said stores using its IndieCommerce platform have increased online sales 580% since 2020, generating more than $200 million in revenue on that system. (bookweb.org) Reader demand has also stayed firm enough to support more shelf space, even with mixed category results. The Association of American Publishers said total U.S. publishing revenue rose 1.1% in 2025 to $14.6 billion, while Circana data reported romance print sales up 24% in 2025 and 51 million units sold over the prior 12 months. (publishers.org) (publishersmarketplace.com) Independent stores are not the only brick-and-mortar booksellers adding locations. Barnes & Noble said in early 2025 that it planned to open more than 60 stores that year after opening 57 in 2024, showing that chain operators also saw room for physical expansion. (retaildive.com) The pressure points have not disappeared. The booksellers’ trade group said independent stores still face policy and cost challenges that include rent, labor, shipping, and other small-business burdens even as openings and sales improve. (bookweb.org) For now, the clearest number is still the opening count: 422 new independent bookstores in one year. In a retail category long treated as a casualty of Amazon and e-books, the latest trade-group data points the other way. (bookweb.org)
