Genre Bookstores Are Winning on Depth: 600-Plus New Indies Opened

More than 600 new independent bookshops opened across the U.S. last year, an 87% increase year over year, according to the American Booksellers Association. A growing share of them bet on a single genre, and Chicago shows the strategy working at scale.

"Bookstores offer an alternative to online algorithms, multi-billion dollar investment companies, and cookie cutter neighborhoods," the association wrote in its latest annual report. "They offer authentic shopping experiences that align with customer values with an emphasis on community."

Specialization gives small retailers a way to beat both Amazon and big-box stores on the one shelf that matters to them.

Why does depth beat selection?

"A small store can't win on selection or price anymore," Joel Goldstein, president of Mr. Checkout Distributors, said in emailed comments. "A general independent bookstore competes with Amazon on every title. A romance or horror shop competes on one shelf and can go deeper on it than anyone else. Specializing is how a small store turns its size into an advantage."

Chicago is a proving ground. The city ranks as a top market for readers, according to foot-traffic analytics firm Placer.ai. Bookstore visits rose more than 11% year over year, and August brought the city's biggest Independent Bookstore Day on record, with over 80 locations participating.

"Bookstores have seen a renewed consumer interest as people look to increase their participation in hobbies and other social activities," Elizabeth Lafontaine, director of research at Placer.ai, said in emailed comments. "In person and digital book clubs are on the rise, and shoppers are looking to connect with those around them more meaningfully."

What do shoppers actually want in-store?

A new report from AlixPartners finds Americans increasingly seek "third spaces" — places to belong outside home and work, from coffee shops to retail stores. Retailers have trained consumers as a "para-store associate" through buy-online-pickup-in-store, in-store request screens, inventory search engines, scan-and-go tech and self-checkout.

That shift raised expectations for the retail basics. Shoppers now prize stock availability, clean and navigable stores, and staff who can help. They increasingly tune out tech like virtual try-on and in-store gadgets, per AlixPartners. Genre shops — personal, lean, deliberately curated by owners — fit that bill.

"Genre-focused bookstores allow us to walk into a bookstore and we know we are going to feel at home and comforted," Morgann Book, co-founder of Bookish Media, said in an interview with Retail Dive. Book hosts the "Off The Shelf" podcast, writes the Well Read newsletter and is developing romance novel adaptations.

"I've been to so many romance bookstores, and everyone who works there reads romance. They love romance," Book said. "They can help you find something if you say 'I want this trope set in this time with this amount of pages.'"

Goldstein drew the contrast with a machine. "An algorithm tells you what sold, and a shop owner who lives in the genre tells you what's good," he said.

How big a role does BookTok play?

Genre stores often embed themselves in neighborhoods. Many host author events, game nights, themed movie and music nights, local artwork and community-resource information.

People find genre communities online first and want a physical match, according to Goldstein. "The demand got organized online first, and the stores followed it," he said.

BookTok — the TikTok corner where creators review books and react to what they read — drives much of that demand. "BookTok is a huge driver in what people are reading," Book said. "BookTok has curated people's reading recommendations, and what they're picking up and what they don't pick up." TikTok, Instagram and Discord have made genres more prominent, according to experts.

"Let's face it. Traditionally, specific genre-lovers were kind of looked down on. Horror, romance or fantasy were seen as 'not serious' literature," Marty Bauer, e-commerce and retail expert at Omnisend, said in emailed comments. "People are now pushing back on this snobbery and enjoying themselves guilt-free."

Subcultures become part of personal identity, and genre bookstores embrace those identities, Bauer said. "It's as much a space to socialize as it is to buy books," he said.

Romance bookstores draw groups that make pilgrimages to them, according to Book. "You're creating an experience that women can go with their friends and make it an outing," she said. "Go to a romance bookstore, and sometimes there's a fun mirror and they can take photos. That is what sometimes Gen Z women want to do. They want to have an experience."

What does a Chicago genre book crawl look like?

Chicago's diverse neighborhoods and passionate reader base support a cluster of genre destinations. Six stops illustrate how a literary niche becomes a retail draw.

• The Understudy, Andersonville. More than 3,500 plays, technique books, fiction and titles on creativity, wellness and justice. The cafe serves coffee, five tea varieties and seasonal drinks. Events include concerts, play readings and drag performances.
• Quimby's, Wicker Park. Small-press zines, literary magazines, chapbooks and comics. "We favor the unusual, the aberrant, the saucy and the lowbrow," the company says. It also runs a print and design service, Quimby's Ink.
• Goblin Market, Lakeview. Two levels of manga, comics, sci-fi, fantasy, horror and an extensive LGBTQ+ selection, plus board games and card games. A downstairs play area holds a couch, table and chairs. A mutual aid shelf stocks whistles, hand warmers, pregnancy test strips, COVID tests, sanitary products and dog food, free to take. "We're not just a store; we are a community-driven space that celebrates the magic of storytelling and diversity," the company says.
• Partners in Crime, near Irving Park. Opened this year, blending romance and mystery. A fake cozy fireplace, a colorful mural and a kids section anchor the store. Categories include dark romance, sports romance, paranormal romance, vintage mystery, true crime and mystery thrillers.
• Bucket O'Blood, Avondale. Horror, sci-fi and fantasy, new and used, plus horror movies and new vinyl focused on heavy metal, hardcore and punk. After 11 years in its space, the store announced this summer it will not renew its lease, which expires at the end of November. It is exploring a new storefront.
• AlleyCat Comics, Andersonville. Tucked behind a narrow alleyway off North Clark Street. Stocks comics, manga, witchy products, Tarot cards, games, Warhammer figurines and pins.

One lease ending in Avondale aside, the model's fundamentals hold: demand organized online, curated shelves offline and communities willing to travel for both.