US$50M bookstores open in DC, Charlottesville and Virginia

BOOKSTORES in DC and the Carolinas are opening their doors to booksellers for the first time in decades, as bookstores across the country face a wave of cancellations.

According to an announcement by the Booksellers Association of the United States (BAUS), a trade group, between January and August, more than 1,600 bookstores nationwide closed their doors.

That’s a 31% increase over the same period last year.

The BAUS said it has received more than 5,000 complaints from booksells across the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as from the U.S. and Canada, about bookstores closing, which it attributes to the economy’s sluggishness.

The BAUS also said it will hold two events in 2018 to promote the bookstores and offer resources to help them survive.

Booksellers have been reluctant to open their doors because they fear the fallout from a temporary ban on book sales that went into effect on Monday, which could result in thousands of bookseller jobs losing their jobs.

But in recent weeks, bookstores have opened in other states and cities, including New York, Seattle and Washington, D.C., where bookstores also have had to close.

The new restrictions, which are not enforced by local governments, have caused cancellations at some of the most popular bookstores.

“As bookstores reopen, people will be able to purchase a wide range of books and authors, from the best sellers of the day, to the most obscure titles,” the BAUS statement said.

“The benefits of opening our doors include a stronger community, greater access to our best and most beloved authors, and increased sales of books that are currently out of print.”

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