Independent Bookstore Day!

Screen Shot 2019-04-26 at 2.47.14 PMThis Saturday is one of my favorite days of the year!  It’s Independent Bookstore Day! Okay, I love the first snow of the year almost as much, and most holidays, and pizza nights…but you get my point 😉 This is a day to celebrate all things indie, visit your local bookstores, make purchases from local shops, put money back into your community, talk about the importance of independent bookstores, and celebrate all the reasons why local indies mean so much to you. I live in a great city, with a few fantastic independent bookstores, so I plan to visit those this year, but I was trying to think of other ways we can all celebrate the day! Here is a list of ways to show your love of independent bookstores on Saturday regardless of your location, ability, finances, work schedules, etc!

  1. Visit your local indie bookstore and put some money back into your community
  2. Order online from your closest independent bookstore! I always try to keep my dollars as close to me as possible. Here is a link to help.
  3. Follow some indie bookstores on social media and give them some love
  4. Check out Powell’s online (or MANY other bookstores that also have online shops) when your instinct is just to click on Amazon. I totally get it, Amazon serves a purpose, but sometimes Powells/other indie bookstores have fantastic deals and some sell used books too!
  5. Get a literary tattoo (this might be a stretch, but I love a good literary tattoo)
  6. Research your local indie for author visits/signings happening this year and get those dates on your calendars.
  7. Get online and talk about books with your fellow bookstagrammers. I’ll be hanging out in the world and always love to chat! (@bookishfolk) Use the hashtag #bookstoreday
  8. Plan to include local indie visits when you travel. There is literally nothing better than this in my humble opinion 🙂
  9. Leave reviews for your favorite independent bookstores on Yelp or FB
  10. Talk to your friends, in person, about books and local bookstores
  11. Bring your family/out of town visitors to your local bookstore
  12. Introduce a young person to the love of reading by bringing them a book or taking them to visit your local indie
  13. Start a book club. A lot of indie bookstores will give your club a discount on your book too
  14. If you listen to audiobooks, consider a subscription to Libro.fm. It’s a monthly subscription like audible, but the money goes to your local bookstore.
  15. If you can’t afford a book, that’s totally okay! Head to your local bookstore and grab a chocolate bar, a cup of coffee, a print, a pencil, bookmark, or anything else that you can afford. Every bit counts!

What really matters here folks is getting out, supporting your local indies any way you can and spreading the word that community matters, spending your dollars locally matters, and independent bookstores matter, not only on Saturday, but every day of the year! I hope you enjoy the day and please, let me know here or on Instagram, how you spent your day celebrating!

bookishfolk…read instead.

4 thoughts on “Independent Bookstore Day!

  1. Rebekah says:

    I had no idea about Libro and that it goes to a local bookstore! That’s definitely going to be my indie bookstore day move. Thanks Melissa 😊

    Like

  2. eivanovich says:

    Some years I’ve managed to do an actual bookstore crawl in multiple counties, but traffic and public transit logistics convinced me to stay closer to home today. So far, I’ve bought the IBD Sesame Street book (Muppets forever!), played Literary Clue, and won a beautiful copy of the new Guided By Voices album (on vinyl) by spinning the Bookshop Santa Cruz IBD prize wheel. I’m taking a library break right now, but plan to return later in the day for more…

    Like

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