Indie bookstores avoid the worst — so far — from pandemic

NEW YORK (AP) — Through the first year of the pandemic, the country's independent booksellers have — so far — avoided disaster.

On Thursday, the American Booksellers Association told The Associated Press that membership increased from 1,635 to 1,701 since May 2020, the additions a combination of brand-new stores and existing stores that had not been part of the independents' trade group. While association CEO Allison K. Hill and others had feared that hundreds of stores could go out of business during the 2020-21 holiday season, the ABA has tallied only 14 closings in 2021 so far, along with more than 70 last year.

“It's fair to say that it could have been much, much worse,” Hill said, describing the independent community as “bruised” but standing.

Hill cited a few factors that helped compensate for pandemic-caused shutdowns and limited hours: PPP loans that enabled some owners to meet their payrolls, a surprisingly strong holiday season in December, increased online sales, and the rise of bookshop.org, an online seller that partners with independent stores and has directed more than $14 million to them in revenues.

But Hill said business for independent stores remains “more challenging than ever,” with many owners not expecting in-person events at least through the summer and still facing the growing strength of Amazon.com. While book sales overall have been strong during the pandemic, much of that has been at either Amazon or discount chains that sell books such as Walmart and Target.

“We’re open, we’re not making a profit, our sales are less than half of what they used to be," said Bryanne Hoeg, manager of the Portland, Oregon-based Powell's Books, during an online panel this week at the inaugural U.S. Book Show. "We can’t have in-store events. We have to ask...