Amber Salazar is just the kind of idealist who would end up running a bookstore — a lifelong reader who felt angered "to the core" as she learned of book bans around the United States.
A resident of Colorado Springs, Colo., Salazar last year opened Banned Wagon Books, a pop-up store she sets up everywhere from wineries to coffee shops, featuring frequently censored works such as Maia Kobabe's "Gender Queer," Angie Thomas' "The Hate U Give" and Toni Morrison's "Beloved."
"I decided that no matter what it looked like, I was going to open a bookstore so that I could contribute in some small way and stand up for intellectual freedom in the U.S.," explains Salazar, 33, who donates 5% of her profits to the American Library Association and other organizations opposing bans. "Since we were coming out of the (COVID-19) pandemic at that time, I started thinking about ways to combine my love of literature and passion for intellectual freedom with my appreciation for the small businesses in my city who weathered some difficult storms through shutdowns and supply chain concerns."
She is among a wave of new — and, often, younger — owners who helped the independent book community dramatically expand, intensify and diversify.
Purpose-driven
Independent bookselling is not a field for fortune seekers: Most local stores, whether run by retirees, bookworms or those switching careers in middle age, have some sense of higher purpose. For many who opened in recent years, it's an especially critical mission.
Narrative in Somerville, Mass., identifies as "proudly immigrant-woman owned & operated, with an emphasis on amplifying marginalized voices & experiences." In Chicago, Call & Response places "the voices of Black and other authors of color at the center of our work."
Independent stores likely will never recover their power of 50 years ago, before the rise of Barnes & Noble superstores and the online giant Amazon.com. Still, the days of industry predictions of their demise seem well behind.
In 2016, there were 1,244 members in the American Booksellers Association trade group at 1,749 locations. As of this month, the ABA has 2,863 individual members at 3,281 locations. More than 200 stores are in the process of opening.
"It's incredible, this kind of energy," association CEO Allison Hill said. "I don't think any of us would have predicted this a few years ago."
Still, booksellers remain vulnerable to political and economic challenges. Costs of supplies remain high and could rise because of President Donald Trump's tariffs. ABA President Cynthia Compton, who runs two stores in the Indianapolis area, says sales to schools are down because censorship laws made educators more cautious.
The ABA's own website advises: "Passion and knowledge have to be combined with business acumen if your bookstore is to succeed."
Not alone
Salazar is part of an Instagram chat group, Bookstores Helping Bookstores, with like-minded sellers such as the owners of The Crafty Bookstore in Bloomington, Ind., "specializing in Indie books & custom bookish accessories," and the Florida-based Chapter Bound, an online store with a calling "to connect great books with great people — at prices everyone can afford."
"In the age of social media, people are craving genuine connection and community," Salazar said. "And books often provide a catalyst to that feeling of community."
Stephen Sparks, who is 47 and since 2017 owned Point Reyes Books northwest of San Francisco, believes the pandemic gave sellers of all ages a heightened sense of their role in the community and Trump's reelection added new urgency. Sales are up 20% this year, he said, if only because "during tough times, people come to bookstores."
Younger owners bring a wide range of prior experience. Salazar worked in retail management for nine years, switched to property and casualty insurance sales and, right before she launched her store, was a business process owner.
Courtney Bledsoe, owner of Call & Response, was a corporate attorney before a "full career shift" and risking a substantial drop in income. The 30-year-old held no illusions that owning a store meant "pouring a cup of coffee and reading all day." She researched the book retail business as if preparing for a trial, before committing herself and launching Call & Response in May 2024.
"This endeavor is probably the hardest thing I have ever done in my life," she says, acknowledging it could take a couple of years before she can even pay herself a salary. "We're just doing this to serve the community, doing something we love to do, providing people with great events, great reading. It's been a real joy."
