Bookstores have withstood the test of technology facing off against the likes of Amazon Kindle, audiobooks and other e-formats in the digital market.
The number of bookstores in the United States declined by half between 1998 and 2019, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report. During the COVID-19 pandemic, retail sales also saw a sharp decline.
In 2026, bookstores in Gainesville and across the United States, have adapted and are still standing strong.
When Jeff Bezos came up with the idea for Amazon, it started as a digital book marketplace.
Three decades later, Amazon is responsible for about 80% of book distribution across all formats, and the global e-book market continues to grow, per Automateed data.
While 3 in 10 surveyed Americans say they read e-books, according to the Pew Research Center, physical books still dominate.
Gainesville is home to three independent bookstores: Book Gallery West, The Lynx and Friends of the Library, a nonprofit that hosts a giant sale twice a year of books, vinyl records, CDs, DVDs and games with proceeds going to support the Alachua County Library District and community literacy programs.
Located in the Millhopper Shopping Center, Book Gallery West has been open since 1983. Former social worker Jan Fronk bought the store 22 years ago and remains confident in the purpose of bookstores.
“I think there's just something special about books, and especially that can be definitely true with nonfiction, where you learn something and you really don't want to erase it or have it gone, you'd like to refer back to it” Fronk said.
While she admits Book Gallery West did see a pushback as digital books gained popularity, those forces eventually wear off on people, she said. The store has already survived the push of Amazon Kindle and even now with audio books, Fronk is optimistic of what physical books have to offer.
“You listen to books, the thing about that is it's somehow better in your own voice, inside your own head,” Fronk said. “And a lot of people just feel like, ‘what's a house without a bookshelf?,’ You know? It's just part of the way things are.”
In addition to selling books, bookstores have adapted. They have started to sell other items and have become hubs for the community.
According to Fronk, a third of the store’s business comes from fun items and small gifts that make the store different. In 2025, Book Gallery was voted Best Gift Store by The Gainesville Sun readers.
While it’s not Book Gallery West’s main purpose, selling different items helps create a unique environment, Fronk emphasized.
In downtown Gainesville, The Lynx opened in 2024 and offers an array of books, primarily ones that are challenged or banned in the state of Florida. The bookstore also features a cafe and a study corner inside.
Viv Schnabel, the events and community relations manager at The Lynx, said the ability to be more than just a bookstore serves people well.
“I think to be in a really colorful place full of all these beautiful titles and extra little tchotchkes and things, it's just a much more pleasurable and meaningful experience than shopping online,” Schnabel said.
The Lynx also hosts four to five events per week, bringing in authors from around the state and even nationally recognized writers.
“None of these things are things that you can get online, or at least get in the same way,” Schnabel said. “And so I think our events have really helped us. I think that's why it's important that we are a physical space.”
Schnabel also explained that while the digital market is a competitor for physical sales, it can operate as a mutually beneficial relationship.
Audiobook sites like Libro.fm divide profits with independent bookstores. Consumers can purchase audiobooks through the site and then choose which independent bookstore they’d like to send part of the proceeds to, Schnabel said.
Bookshop.org is another site that offers e-books and donates profits to independent bookstores.
“I also think it's important for people to have [audiobooks] for accessibility reasons,” Schnabel said. “You don't just have to go through Amazon. You can still support indies while you consume books in these other forms.”
Schnabel said changes in consumer habits and new trends have also changed the game for printed books.
One trend that has gained popularity across generations is spraying the edges of a book to create a design.
“And so these books are desirable objects to have for your collection or to have, because, you know, there's something more prized for you,” Schnabel said. “Look forward to new books with new cover designs, and so I think that's one way in which books are adapting to the new generation.”
The Lynx’s recent establishment also represents a broader national shift.
According to the American Bookstore Association 2024 annual report, 323 independent bookstores opened across the country in 2024, a 31% increase compared with 2023. In 2025, ABA highlighted that 75.3% of independent stores recorded higher sales than they did in 2024.
This pattern isn’t specific to independent bookstores; corporate stores like Barnes & Noble have also seen a resurgence. After claiming two decades of declining sales, the retail giant said it opened more stores in 2024 than it had in an entire decade from 2009 to 2019.
Despite the digital expansion, the attraction of physical books remains. Bookstores have survived and are thriving in new ways and are serving as gathering places in the community.
“I think every city should have an independent bookstore,” Schnabel said. “I think it's the foundation of the culture of a city. So I'm really glad Gainesville does right there.”