Bookstores Collaborate on Local Promotions for Independent Bookstore Day

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Independent Bookstore Day logoThis Saturday, April 29, booksellers across the country will celebrate Independent Bookstore Day (IBD), and many stores are teaming up in their cities and regions for special promotions.

In the greater Chicago area, 24 independent bookstores are collaborating for an Independent Bookstore Day celebration that promotes bookstore tourism: the #MyChicagoBookstore Challenge.

An initial purchase of $25 or more at the first store will earn shoppers a carabiner and a luggage tag; each subsequent store visited on April 29 will earn them an additional luggage tag, with no purchase required. Readers who collect 10 tags get 10 percent off at all participating bookstores for the year, and those who collect 15 tags get 15 percent off at all stores for the year. Additional prizes will be awarded to readers who post photos of themselves on social media using the hashtag #CHIBD17.

Participating stores include: 57th Street Books, Anderson’s Bookshop (three locations), The Book Bin, The Book Cellar, The Book Stall at Chestnut Court, The Book Table, Bookends & Beginnings, Bookie’s, Centuries and Sleuths, Magic Tree Bookstore, Newberry Library Bookshop, Open Books (two locations), Powell’s Books Chicago, Quimby’s, Read It & Eat, RoscoeBooks, Sandmeyer’s Bookstore, Seminary Co-op Bookstore, Volumes Bookcafe, Wicker Park Secret Agent Supply Co./826CHI, and Women & Children First.

The #MyChicagoBookstore Challenge is sponsored by the Chicagoland Independent Bookstore Alliance (ChIBA), which formed in 2016 in order to raise awareness about the vitality of Chicago’s indie bookstores.

Eighteen independent bookstores in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, are participating in the Twin Cities Bookstore Passport program, which awards prizes to readers who earn stamps by visiting participating bookstores throughout the day.

Readers who visit five stores will win a limited-edition Twin Cities indie bookstore map, specially created for Independent Bookstore Day by Kevin Cannon of Cannon Maps. Readers who visit 10 participating stores will receive the map as well as a chance to win a literary prize pack that includes more than $400 worth of books and gift cards. Readers who visit all 18 stores will be entered to win a special collection of books recommended by each participating store, in addition to the prizes for visiting five and 10 stores.

Participating stores include: Addendum Books, Birchbark Books, Boneshaker Books, Chapter2Books, Common Good Books, Daybreak Press Global Bookshop, DreamHaven Books, Excelsior Bay Books, Lake Country Booksellers, Magers & Quinn, Milkweed Books, Moon Palace Books, Once Upon a Crime, Paperback Exchange, Red Balloon Bookshop, SubText Books, Valley Bookseller, and Wild Rumpus.

On April 29 in San Francisco, cyclists of all ages and skill levels will take part in the two-hour SF Bicycle Book Tour hosted by Green Apple Books. The scenic ride will take cyclists through the city to visit five independent bookstores in honor of Independent Bookstore Day. The tour begins at Book Passage’s Ferry Building location and ends at Green Apple Books on Clement Street.

In Texas, the Austin Bookstore Crawl invites readers to visit the wide array of independent bookstores in and around city of Austin on Independent Bookstore Day. Readers who visit three or more participating stores, complete a scavenger hunt at each one, and post a picture on social media using the hashtag #atxbookstorecrawl will be entered into a drawing for a grand prize.

Participating bookstores include Austin Books & Comics, Balcones Books, BookPeople, BookWoman, Brave New Books, Dragon’s Lair Comics and Fantasy, Half Price Books – Anderson Mill, Half Price Books – North Lamar, Half Price Books – Parmer Crossing, Half Price Books – South Lamar, Half Price Books – South Park Meadows, Malvern Books, MonkeyWrench Books, and Tribe Comics and Games.

As previously reported, in the greater Seattle area, independent bookstores are partnering for the third consecutive year to offer the Indie Bookstore Challenge. Customers who visit all 19 participating bookstores on April 29 and get their passport stamped at each store will receive a 25 percent discount at all participating stores for a year.

Four New Orleans booksellers will celebrate Independent Bookstore day on Saturday, May 13, to avoid conflicting with the city’s popular Jazz & Heritage Festival, where they serve as booksellers in the book tent.

Garden District Book Shop, Maple Street Book Shop, Octavia Books, and Tubby & Coo’s Mid-City Book Shop are each planning special activities for Independent Bookstore Day, and together the stores are offering the chance to win $100 in gift certificates for book lovers who visit all four participating bookstores on May 13.

The stores will also be giving away a limited number of Blackbird Letter Press New Orleans City Notebooks to customers who spend $25 or more on New Orleans Independent Bookstore Day.

Visit the Independent Bookstore Day website to learn more about the event or follow IBD on Facebook and Twitter.