This Saturday, April 25th, is the 13th Annual National Independent Bookstore Day (IBD). With over 2,000 bookstores participating across all 50 states, this is the day to support your local indie! Why should you care about local bookshops? Because we all benefit from them! They are hubs of words and ideas; they are kid-friendly spaces that often have free kid-friendly events; and they spur our local economies! Our city has its fair share of local bookstores, so be sure to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day in Birmingham at one (or more) of these spots!
*Multiple of these shops will have Libro.fm Golden Tickets up for grabs, hidden somewhere in the store. That ticket gets you 12 free audiobooks from Libro.fm!
Bookmarked Paperie
Come celebrate at Bookmarked Paperie from 9:00 – 3:00 with giveaways, book bedazzling, and a special storytime. Local author Elizabeth Hubbard will lead a storytime at 9:30, followed by treats and a craft. All day, there will be complimentary book bedazzling; simply bring a book, notebook, or even an album cover, and the bedazzling supplies will be provided at no charge. A Libro.fm Golden Ticket will be up for grabs, and for every $100 spent, you gain an entry to win 20% at Bookmarked for the entire year.
Enjoyer Books Pop-up @ Cala Coffee
Shop in-person at Cala Coffee from 8:00 – 4:00! Every purchase comes with a free IBD bookmark, IBD button pin, a discount based on the roll of a dice, and an entry for a book giveaway. You can purchase new bookmarks, exclusive to Enjoyer Books, and there will be a Libro.fm Golden Ticket hidden in the shop.
Little Professor Bookshop
To celebrate the weekend, Little Professor (LP) will have promotions on both Friday & Saturday! You’ll receive $5 in LP bucks for every $50 spent, with double LP bucks for members. If you decide to become a member or renew your membership, you’ll get a free tote. Members can enter the Unhinged Book Haul Giveaway; this year there will be one adult winner AND one child winner!
LP is also hosting a Local Love Market pop-up shop this Saturday at their Homewood location from 9:00 – 2:00 . You can shop local goods from various Birmingham makers and small businesses like Bread Crumb Home Bakery, Clover Bloom, Deepwoods Bindery, The Little Red Print Shop, Bug Rock Ceramics, Osuya Leather Goods, Peachy Keen Inks, Cookies by Jenni, and Cericola Granola. New Shoes Soft Serve will also be having a special pop-up! At 10:30, NYT Bestselling author Alli Millington will be having a storytime for the little bookworms, and new LP merch will be dropping.
On Sunday, LP’s very own MK Foster is leading a poetry workshop. You can register for that here.
Thank You Books
Thank You Books (TYB) has a great day lined up from 10:00 – 6:00. At 10:30, there will be a kids’ storytime with Howard Pearlstein, including treats for both kids & adults. There will be multiple giveaways you can enter for books, gifts, and Cass McComb concert tickets from 10:00 – 2:00. A flash sale for First Edition Club Members will happen from 4:00 – 5:00, and from 4:30 – 6:00 is Happy Hour! All day, everyone can enjoy new store merch, discounts, the chance to find a Libro.fm Golden Ticket, and photos with Lowly Worm (Richard Scarry anyone?)! All purchases over $100 will include a free TYP koozie while supplies last.
With so much bookish fun, there really is something for everyone in Birmingham on this Independent Bookstore Day. Happy shopping!!
