The Bookslut Blog links to this article about the perceived growth of independent bookstores:

The swan song of the independent bookstore has been sung — and then sung again. In a bookselling climate dominated by the Internet and chain stores, even the most persistent redoubts are reportedly packing up. Certainly the numbers bear this out. Membership in the trade organization for independently owned bookstores has dropped by more than half in the past decade.

Yet new stores continue to open. “We’re like Mark Twain” (who lived long after he was mistakenly reported dead), says Oren Teicher of the American Booksellers Association (ABA). “Rumors of our death are premature.”

While it’s heartening to see that there might be more indies out there, it’s not an optimistic report. The article seems suggest that these new bookstore owners are a different breed; they’re not in it for the money.

Surely the indies of the past weren’t thinking about making a million dollars though, right? C’mon.