[Digital Today reporter Chi-gyu Hwang] An Axios article drawing attention says bookstores are reviving even as Americans read less.

The report said Barnes & Noble and independent bookstores, once at risk of disappearing amid Amazon's growth and Borders' collapse, are opening new outlets and increasing sales, signaling a turnaround.

As AI shakes up how people consume information and book sales in certain genres fall, Axios said bookstores are redefining themselves as refuges from smartphones and places for real discovery.

James Daunt (제임스 던트), CEO of Barnes & Noble, said, "The revival is really happening." Allison Hill (앨리슨 힐), CEO of the American Booksellers Association, said, "People want their work and values to align and they have affection for bookstores and local communities. Consumers also want consumption that matches their values."

Daunt is credited with saving Barnes & Noble from crisis after taking charge in 2019, drawing on his experience running bookstores in Britain. He gave local managers authority to display books tailored to local readers' tastes. He remodeled stores and changed how books are displayed. He also greatly expanded non-book merchandise such as toys and games.

Daunt said, "If you let store teams make common-sense decisions within each store, most stores are run better, and that creates a virtuous cycle of steady improvement."

Independent bookstores are also showing signs of revival. The American Booksellers Association said the number of U.S. bookstores rose 70 percent to 3,416 in 2025 from 2,010 in 2021. It said 73 percent of bookstores posted higher sales in 2025, and more than 47 percent said sales rose at least 6 percent.

This is drawing attention because it is happening as Americans read fewer books.

A CBS News poll in June found 36 percent of Americans said they read fewer books than 10 years ago. Only 23 percent said they read more, and 40 percent said it was about the same. AI summarisation and reduced attention spans caused by social media are also cited as factors threatening bookstores.

Author Tim Ferriss (팀 페리스) recently said sales of his practical books have plunged, noting chatbots are providing answers that people used to get from books. The Wall Street Journal also reported in a recent article that sales of serious nonfiction are weak.

Even so, Daunt said he does not agree with claims that reading is declining and that AI will not replace books. He acknowledged weak sales in certain genres such as political books, but said trends are changing.

He said, "Romance is fading, but 'romantasy,' which combines romance and fantasy, is taking off. Nonfiction is also selling well."

Daunt said, "The idea that people don't read has long been a repeated narrative in the bookstore industry." He called it "lazy journalism" and "complete nonsense," and said, "At Barnes & Noble, sales at newsstands have recently risen for magazines like The Atlantic with stars such as Taylor Swift on the cover."

Peggy Stover (페기 스토버), a marketing professor at the University of Iowa, said bookstores are benefiting from a trend among Generation Z to seek analogue experiences like vinyl records. She said, "Nostalgia for a time before complex technology is leading to a bookstore boom. Generation Z is reviving the old way of using bookstores as places to meet while drinking coffee."