Founded in 1917 as a street corner newsstand in Florence, Ala., Books-A-Million, Inc., trademarked BAM!®, has grown to become a premier book retailing chain in the Southeastern U.S. And, the second largest book retailer in the nation.
In fact, Books-A-Million currently operates over 260 stores in 32 states, and the District of Columbia.
IN ADDITION TO ITS PRIMARY RETAIL COMPONENT, “The corporation includes a book wholesale and distribution subsidiary, American Wholesale Book Company, an e-commerce division operating as BOOKSAMILLION.COM, and an internet development and services company, NetCentral, in Nashville, Tennessee.,” according to their website.
Some feel the opening of new bookstores may have been among the most counter-intuitive trends of 2024. Yet in our fractured economy, bucking the trend can be surprisingly smart.
Books-A-Million, NRTA is impressed.
“One of the most counter-intuitive trends of 2024 is the opening of new bookstores,” wrote Mainebix Staff Writer Alex Wells in a featured news article earlier this year. Reflecting on Books-A-Million’s success, Wells noted that when the bookstore chain officially opened its new store in Bangor, Maine, the store had moved from its longtime, two-story location to a new 27,900-square-foot site formerly occupied by a different retailer.
The new bookstore, Wells added, is “about a mile from its predecessor, is on one floor but slightly larger.”
It’s clear as we close out 2024 and turn to 2025. This was a smart move.
We look forward to helping our new member Books-A-Million realize success with us at NRTA.
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