Andy Hunter, founder and CEO of Bookshop.org, set out to support independent bookstores across the U.S. The startup's explosive growth began to wane in 2022, as customers returned to buy in-person at their local bookstores, Hunter says. For us, winning is, we got 5% of Amazon customers to switch to independent bookstores — that would be a huge lifeline for independent bookstores." "And there are now, from a low of about 1,900 independent bookstores in the American Booksellers Association in 2019, about 2,800 independent bookstores in the American Booksellers Association." The American Booksellers Association, which advocates for independent bookstores, reported 2,433 bookstore companies in 2,844 store locations in 2024, an 11% increase in membership year over year.