(VIA NYTimes.com) A decade ago, independent bookstores were viewed as an industry on the decline. Crushed on price by Amazon and by the wide selection of national retailers like Barnes & Noble, thousands of mom-and-pop outlets had closed up shop.

21% | Growth in number of independent bookstores 2010-2015

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“In a twist of fate, it is the internet — the very thing that was supposed to wipe them out — that is helping these small stores. ‘Bookstores are being reinvented by taking advantage of how the world has changed,’ said Oren Teicher, chief executive of the American Booksellers Association, which represents independent sellers. ‘The whole ability to put technology to work for you has changed everything.'”

Some bookstores are investing in infrastructure like in-shop e-book printers and new back-end systems, while others are embracing social media as an inexpensive way to connect with new customers.

Continue reading at NYTimes.com: The Neighborhood Bookstore’s Unlikely Ally? The Internet

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