Another Pandemic Surprise: A Mini Indie Bookstore Boom

Though the pandemic caused financial hardship for many independent bookstores, particularly those in cities and states that forced retailers to close their doors for months, it has also paved the way for a mini-boom of bookstore openings. "I've gotten a lot of, ‘Why would you open during a pandemic? That's brave,' " said Kari Ferguson, who opened an online children's bookstore, Oh Hello Again, in June 2020, followed by a general bookstore of the same name in the Capitol Hill section of Seattle in December. "But really, the pandemic allowed me to open a physical location, because rent prices dropped on retail spaces due to store closings. The community has been so supportive. I think people are enthralled with the novelty of a business opening rather than shutting down during Covid." Ferguson said her previous experience opening and running a children's bookstore in Vancouver, Wash., has enabled her to keep costs down.