US Edition
A wave of new owners brings fresh energy to independent bookselling
- Amber Salazar, a lifelong reader from Colorado Springs, opened Banned Wagon Books last year as a pop-up bookstore selling frequently censored works.
- Salazar started the bookstore to stand up against book bans she found angering, aiming to contribute to intellectual freedom in the U.S.
- The American Booksellers Association has grown from 1,244 members in 2016 to 2,863 members across 3,281 locations this month despite high supply costs and cautious school sales.
- Stephen Sparks, owner of Point Reyes Books near San Francisco, noted sales rose 20% this year as people seek genuine community amid ongoing social and political tensions.
- This surge in independent bookselling reflects a renewed community focus but also faces challenges like censorship-driven school sales decline and uncertain supply costs.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Urban Reads Bookstore Owner Tia Hamilton Faces Racist Attacks: 'Now I Gotta Save Myself'
Baltimore bookstore owner Tia Hamilton is refusing to back down. As the founder of Urban Reads, a beloved Black-owned community bookstore in the city’s Waverly neighborhood, Hamilton has been the target of an ongoing campaign of racist threats—yet she remains resolute, defending her space and the broader Black community it serves. Since February, Hamilton has received hundreds of phone calls, texts, and social media messages filled with hate and…
Bolton Birch celebrate 2 new independent retail tenants
Chester’s city centre independent retail scene is boosted again as the Louison Family Concept store opened last weekend on St Werburgh Street. Other recent openings include the Bolton Birch let to Aldous Books in Godstall Lane, and Rodd & Gunn in the former Sole Trader unit. Marine Louison said: “We are so excited to introduce Louison, a Family Concept Store to Chester. We’ve always loved spaces that bring creativity and connection together, an…
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Bias Distribution
- 47% of the sources lean Left, 47% of the sources are Center
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