Despite fears that online book shopping would lead to the end of brick-and-mortar bookstores, the Greater Lansing area is seeing more demand for physical spaces to pick up a novel, cookbook or memoir.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of bookstores nationwide dropped from more than 12,000 in 1998 to just under 7,000 in 2016.
But while online retailers once dealt a heavy blow to bookstores, recent trends show renewed interest in shopping local.
Barnes & Noble plans to open 60 new stores in 2025, including one at the Frandor Shopping Center in Lansing. The American Booksellers Association, which represents independent bookstores, reported an 11% year-over-year increase in membership in early 2024.
Jay Scofield, general manager of Hooked—a bookstore, coffee shop and wine bar in Lansing—believes the shift is part of a broader trend toward supporting local businesses.
“You see people going to farmer’s markets to buy their groceries locally, trying to shop at grocery stores that get their produce and their meat locally,” Scofield said. “Why not books?”
For readers like East Lansing resident Dimitre Kazaras, the appeal of local bookstores is also about the in-person experience.
“There’s the community aspect of things, being around people and seeing books that you wouldn’t see,” Kazaras said while shopping at Hooked.
Other signs of growth include Schuler Books relocating to a larger space at the Meridian Mall earlier this year and Lansing’s Deadtime Stories expanding with a new store in Charlotte.
