Small bookstores are popping up across the country. What's behind the boom

+ What's behind the boom July 30, 20264:41 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition From By Reagan Jones Small bookstores are popping up across the country. What's behind the boom Listen &middot; 3:28 3:28 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5909575/nx-s1-9868759" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript Small bookstores are opening up around the country and finding new ways to bring people in. Sponsor Message Transcript LEILA FADEL, HOST: There's a surge of new independent bookstores in the U.S. More than 600 opened last year - nearly double from the year before. That's according to the American Booksellers Association, which predicts hundreds more this year. Reagan Jones with member station WUOT in Knoxville reports.

+ REAGAN JONES, BYLINE: It's poetry open-mic night at Fable Hollow Coffee & Bookshoppe. Max Hunt is a regular. He recently graduated with a master's in creative writing and prefers reading at this bookstore to academic circles. MAX HUNT: I find that the environment here is a lot more supportive and a lot more open. Like, whenever I read a funny poem, people actually laugh at it as opposed to just going, hmm. You know? JONES: Fable Hollow has become much more than a place for people to pick up their next read. They host several themed gatherings. Sara Stepp has attended a number of them. SARA STEPP: I started by joining their fantasy book club that they had. And I actually met two of my very best friends through book club here, and so it's kind of a sentimental place for me. JONES: Experts say booksellers are able to keep their finger on the pulse of the populations they serve in a way that other retailers cannot. Linda-Marie Barrett is the executive director of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. LINDA-MARIE BARRETT: You're kind of like a bartender or therapist when you're a bookseller, so you have a really good insight into what your community might be missing or needing. JONES: One testament to that idea is The Bottom, a bookstore that caters to Knoxville's Black community. Annastasia Williams runs the book shop there. She says here, readers have access to stories that mirror their own. ANNASTASIA WILLIAMS: Black authors make up about 5%, maybe 6% of published works in the book industry, and so it's easy for them to get lost. JONES: The Bottom also spearheads a number of advocacy initiatives. For one, it focuses on books banned at schools in Tennessee. The Bottom's Banned Book Club tackles titles like Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye" and Angie Thomas' "The Hate U Give." For member Sarah Taylor, joining the club allows her to take these discussions beyond the page. SARAH TAYLOR: I hadn't realized that book bans were as big of a deal as they are. And so I did go to the school board meeting and learned a lot about the local politics. That was an education for me. JONES: Bookstore offerings have also become more niche. For example, Good Girl Books is Tennessee's first romance-only brick-and-mortar bookstore. The store also has a mobile book truck and hosts events around town, like at this brewery called Xul Beer Company. Here, readers are invited to come hang out, chat over their favorite chapters or read solo. Callie Snell is here with her mom and a friend. CALLIE SNELL: It's just a third space, which, like, people are kind of desperate for. JONES: Snell is far from the only one who feels this way. Independent booksellers say they're able to offer what AI or Amazon can't - a reason for people to gather in person. And for readers like Cait Bolden, the romance book gathering is all about the energy. CAIT BOLDEN: The world's kind of on fire. So, you know, meeting other people who like to read happy things is always a good thing (laughter). JONES: So whether you're looking to embark on an epic quest, find your next book boyfriend or just meet some new people, your local bookstore could be the perfect place to start. For NPR News, I'm Reagan Jones in Knoxville. Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{310:function(e,n,o){o.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([o.e(1),o.e(2),o.e(3),o.e(4),o.e(80)]).then((e=>{o(15),o(769),o(155),o(176),o(93),o(447),o(254),o(128),o(130),o(754),o(175),o(755),o(255),o(78),o(773)}).bind(null,o)).catch(o.oe)},782:function(e,n,o){e.exports=o(310)}},[[782,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();