05/14/2026
So how did small bookstores make their comeback? Well, it seems that many people simply prefer not to confine their reading to the digital world, nor their shopping to exploitative, union-busting warehouses. A third of Americans now see Big Tech as the largest threat to the nation’s future, which suggests that years of exhortations to “shop small” have likely found receptive audiences.
There’s also the singular experience of patronizing a local bookstore, where clerks are on hand to offer expert guidance, locally relevant selections hold pride of place on front tables, and where shoppers may encounter friends, neighbors, and their next favorite reads. While browsing in a physical store, readers are three times more likely to stumble upon a new book they’re interested in than they are when scrolling through Amazon’s interface.
Americans fight back against big tech.
