For years we’ve been hearing more and more glum news about the future of bookselling. But in an article on WRAL.com, Writer’s Relief learned something wonderful! New independent bookstores are popping up all over the country—and many of them are proving to be sustainable business investments:

While many trends in business suggest the brick and mortar store is on its way to extinction, independent bookstores are thriving.

The National Booksellers Association reports a 40 percent growth in “indie” bookstores since 2009 and the small stores continue to raise their sales numbers, posting an increase of 2.6 percent from 2016-2017.

“Yeah, the indie renaissance has really been great. I am proud and excited to be part of it,” said Jamie Fiocco who is the owner of Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill.

Read more of this article from WRAL.com.