Also, Visible Voice Books in Tremont reopens this month next to Crust pizza after a three-year hiatus. The new location on Professor Avenue — described in a recent news release as an "urban literary retreat" — offers double the space and a more visible storefront. The new shop boasts a 26-car parking lot, and the additional square footage allows the bookstore to integrate a new cafe with seasonal wines and beer.

"These past three years I have been making lists of books and lists of what I could do to refocus and strengthen the store," Visible Voice owner Dave Ferrante said in the release announcing the reopening, officially slated for Sept. 27. "The idea of reopening was never really out of mind for very long. For better or for worse, I would not be the person I am now if it was not for all the reading I have done throughout my life. Literature widens your world view and opens you up to understanding the struggles, motivations and will of others."

Other area stores, such as Loganberry and Horizontal Books, which sells last season's bestsellers at large discounts on West 25th Street, report strong sales as well.

The White Plains, N.Y-based American Booksellers Association (ABA), a trade association for independent stores, reports that its membership has grown for the past seven years in a row — from 1,651 locations in 2009 to 2,321 today. In addition, the association reports steady sales gains over the last several years. For all of 2016, sales at independent bookstores rose just under 5% over the previous year.

"We've gone through a period of growth and we think it will continue," said ABA CEO Oren Teicher.

He attributes the resurgence of independent bookstores to several factors: the rise of "buy local" movements; the reduced cost of technology allowing small players to operate more efficiently and reach more customers; and increased recognition by publishers that consumers "discover" books they didn't know they wanted in stores, not online, which has motivated them to help small stores find ways to be more profitable.

Bookstore owners also tend to be an entrepreneurial group, willing to adjust to whatever challenge the market throws at them in each new chapter of their existence, he added.

"When you put all of those factors together, it equals a formula for success," Teicher said.

The Book Store & Handmade Marketplace opened in Berea in 2015, but when its lease was canceled last year as its building was sold, a planned second location in downtown Medina became the sole site. The shop sells new books as well as artwork and crafts made by local artisans —and business is booming, said owner Melissa Malone.

"We offer something that's unique and crafty, kind of like 'bookstore meets Etsy.' You can't really find stuff that we provide anywhere else," she said.

Malone estimates that 70% to 80% of her customers are new each month. One way she works to attract them is by hosting speaker series. Also, this is the third year she is sponsoring a Harry Potter Fun Run and Walk. More than 1,000 participants are expected at the Oct. 8 event, she said.

Still, opening a bookstore is hardly an easy path toward quick success. Take Colin Brown, who opened The Bookshop in Lakewood, on Madison Avenue, in 2014. He said business has been growing since he opened shop, albeit slowly. His decision to launch his business stemmed at least in part from that observation that there are not many independent brick-and-mortar booksellers on the West Side in recent years.

"I largely haven't been found by the greater community here yet. I'm on a growth swing just because I'm tiny and there's no real competition anywhere nearby," he said. "Every year I do a little bit more than the previous year and I keep slowly pushing uphill and eventually I'll be able to afford help."

He acquires his used book inventory by accepting items for store credit through the front door, as well as hitting estates sales, library sales and the like.

He doesn't have a café in the store and he doesn't host events, primarily because his space is very small and does not have plumbing for a restroom on the main floor. He hopes to move to a larger space, and add newer titles and more amenities in the future, but finding an affordable location that meets his needs has proved challenging. Leaving the city isn't an option since he "baked that into the name of the store," he said.

As for Appletree Books — a staple in Cleveland Heights since 1975 — owner Lynn Quintrell decided to take a plunge and expand last summer when the longtime tanning salon adjacent to her store closed. When she bought Appletree in 2014, after working there for eight years, it quickly became apparent to her that she needed more room to host events and to have a nicer children's section. She scouted out larger venues during 2015, but when her landlord let her know in January 2016 that the adjacent space was opening up, she decided to go for it.