Page 6 - Changing Hands News Today

The first day of the conferences first in-person show in two years, held in Phoenix this week, buzzed with a giddy camaraderie.

The year 2021 saw a substantial increase in the number of independent bookstores in the United States. And a growing proportion of these stores is owned by individuals from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds.

Last year, Juneteenth became a federal holiday. The name commemorates June 19, 1865 — the day that African American slaves in Texas received word they had been freed from enslavement two and half years earlier by President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.Juneteenth means different things for different people.

Independent booksellers are growing in number and becoming more diverse. Membership in the American Booksellers Association currently stands at just over 2,000.

Laura Romani, a Chicago-area resident with a background in education and library science, had been thinking of a new career.

NEW YORK (AP) — Laura Romani, a Chicago-area resident with a background in education and library science, had been thinking of a new career. “I was at home a couple of years ago reflecting on all the experience I gained and how I wanted to contribute to the Latino community, while also allowing myself to be on my own and make use of my love for books and passion for multilingualism," she says.

According to American Booksellers Association CEO Allison Hill, the association now has 2,010 members, at 2,547 locations, an increase of more than 300 since spring 2021. It’s the highest ABA total in years.

Independent booksellers are growing in number and becoming more diverse

Amplifying Atlanta

Independent booksellers are growing in number and becoming more diverse. Dozens of new stores are owned by people of various racial and ethnic backgrounds. At the same time, store owners face rising prices and supply chain issues. Not to mention the competitive challenges and financial insecurity that bookstores have long struggled with.