The American Booksellers Association recently presented their 2024 Annual Report to their membership. The leading organization for independent bookstores had some good news to share. “The vitality of independent bookstores was undeniable in 2024. ABA’s membership grew by 18%, and 323 new brick-and-mortar, pop-up, and mobile stores opened across the US. This marks the fourth consecutive year with more than 200 new store openings,” wrote Allison K. Hill, ABA’s CEO, in her opening letter.

The challenges of running a small business were also acknowledged during the May meeting. Tegan Tigani, the outgoing ABA Board President and children’s book buyer for the Queen Anne Book Company in Seattle, noted many stores are still recovering from the shutdowns of the pandemic years according to the Publisher Weekly‘s coverage of the annual meeting. Still only 37 bookstores closed in 2024, a drop in closures of approximately 60% according to ABA.

A complete copy of the report can be found at the ABA website: https://www.bookweb.org/