Despite behemoths like Starbucks and Amazon, the number of independent bookstores, coffeeshops, and other businesses is growing.

At the annual Business Alliance for Local Living Economies conference, where more than 600 high-energy people strategized about the transition to a more localized, Main Street economy, I learned that independent retailers are thriving.

One surprising comeback, even in the age of the behemoth Amazon, is independent bookstores.

(READ the story from Yes Magazine)