By james art 
Gilbert, AZ (Azfamily) – A book by book, Laura Sharp is arranging shelves with joy in her new bookstore.
“When you enter a bookstore, it smells of books,” Sharp said. “And it feels like peace. And everyone is welcome. “
Sharp just opened literally, a bookstore in Gilbert. After years of working as a pop -up window, selling books on farmers and inside other local companies, Sharp has its own space.
“At this point, we have been working for this for almost three years: to get a physical location of a bookstore in Gilbert,” she recently said to Arizona’s family. “So I’m really excited to sit in these four walls. He feels unrealistic. “
The 800 square foot shop is full of mostly children’s books: head books, graphic novels, picture books and more. There are also adult shelves. She tells Arizona’s family that all the titles were carefully chosen to cause curiosity about judgment.
“We are always looking for books that create a connection between people,” Sharp said. “I want everyone who enters the store to be able to see the shelves.”
Laura’s shop is part of a more national trend. According to the American Association of Book Sellers in 2023, over 291 bookstores open across the country. While 95 closed, 192 others are at work. ABA also says it has raised an 11% increase in membership this year.
About 8 miles from Sharp’s store is the Wijaya House in Tem. It was just one of the independent bookstores that opened in 2023, it houses books, flowers, coffee and most importantly – a community.
“There is something just about finding a place to feel that you are just feeling comfortable,” said owner Melati Parker.
Wijaya House has a highly cured collection of books for sale, a book club, flower arrangement classes and other events in the community. In 2025, it is clear that readers want to do more than just shopping. Five years after the Covid-19 pandemic, meetings with magnification and virtual terrains are in high demand, while the true face time and third spaces are highly demand.
“I always called it when you see the whites of one’s eyes, the conversation changes,” Parker said. “And you are smaller, I feel when you talk to people.”
Arizona’s family asked Sharp and Parker about their biggest challenges as small business owners. It is said that just removing the word and notifying people that they are there is huge.
“We are always facing the threat of large boxes and Amazon stores and people who can use books as a losses leader,” Sharp said. “This can make it difficult for us to sell books to publishers marked price, which is what we need to do to become financially viable.”
Here’s more information about where to find literally, bookstore and Wijaya House. This is also a website where you can find independent bookstores near you and even shop online.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our history? Please click here to report itS
Do you have a photo or video of destructive news? Send This is here With a brief description.
Copyright 2025 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.