A mild winter in many parts of the country coupled with a six-year low in unemployment and significantly lower gas prices combined for a strong holiday season at most independent bookstores and up sales for the year. Or as Steve Bercu, CEO of BookPeople in Austin, puts it, “People are just back into books. There was just tons and tons of stuff getting sold.”
Based on PW’s informal survey of more than two dozen stores, many easily beat the National Retail Federation’s prediction of a 4.1% increase during November and December. Beth Black, co-owner of the Bookworm in Omaha, Neb., which moved to an upscale shopping center in October, described the Christmas season as “terrific. Our holiday sales were up nicely over last year, up 20%.” Long-time bookseller Shirley Mullin, owner of 29-year-old Kids Ink in Indianapolis described it as “the best holiday season we’ve ever had.” 
