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| At Eagle Harbor Book Company on Bainbridge Island, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee and his wife, Trudi, show their support. | |
Booksellers across the country reported enthusiastic crowds and healthy sales on Saturday, which marked both the sixth annual Small Business Saturday, sponsored by American Express, and the third annual Indies First--founded by Sherman Alexie and this year spearheaded by Cheryl Strayed--sponsored by the American Booksellers Association.
University Book Store, Seattle, Wash., had what Pam Cady, manager, general books, called "a great day" with authors Terry Brooks, Greg Bear and Isaac Marion and others. "We had people waiting out in the cold to get in when we opened at 10 a.m." She added that "many customers told us that they were here supporting us instead of the Amazon store down the street. We couldn't be more grateful to our customers for shopping with us to kick off the holiday season."
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| At Star Line Books, Chattanooga, Tenn., author Cherie Priest handles the cash wrap. | |
On Small Business Saturday-Indies First at Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, Mich., six authors became "volunteer Literati Book Ninjas," as co-owner Mike Gustafson put it. The six--Claire Vaye Watkins, Nancy Shaw, Robert James Russell, Keith Taylor, Raymond McDaniel and Julie Timmer--wore Literati T-shirts and talked to customers about their favorite 2015 reads.
Gustafson added the connections between authors and the community was "such a wonderful and organic experience for both customers and the authors," who have been "fierce supporters of us and independent bookstores." Nancy Shaw, author of Sheep in a Jeep, agreed, saying, "We make very personal connections to the page as we read. I want a book person, not just an algorithm, finding those connections when I'm looking for a book. I love shopping at indie bookstores."
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| At Unabridged Bookstore, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel peruses his bookish wishlist with store owner Ed Devereux. | |
As it has done for years, on the day after Thanksgiving, Encore Books in Yakima, Wash., promoted itself as "as a peaceful oasis for shoppers looking for an alternative to the frenzy and stress, whether they are simply taking a break or looking to avoid the masses altogether," according to assistant manager Brett Lamb. "It's become one of our favorite annual events." The new and used bookstore opened early and offered free coffee and pastries--and it did something similar on Small Business Saturday, adding free balloons for kids and free canvas tote bags for everyone who spent $20 or more.
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| At Scout & Morgan Books in Cambridge, Minn., dogs Elsa and Luka sport Small Business Saturday scarves | |
At Watchung Booksellers, Montclair, N.J., the store was packed much of the day, and happy owner Margot Sage-EL reported that business was excellent. This year the store didn't schedule authors for formal appearances, although several stopped by.
Watermark Books & Café, Wichita, Kan., promoted Small Business Saturday with a 30% discount in-store coupon, free tote bags on purchases over $75 and a buy-one-latte-get-one-free coupon in the café.
The Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, Mass., offered Small Business Saturday-Indies First customers a choice between a 20% in-store discount and a 20% donation of the purchase amount to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. The schedule included appearances by authors/guest booksellers Aaron Becker, Ali Benjamin, Holly Black and Kelly Link, as well as hot apple cider and local food vendors.
WORD Bookstores in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Jersey City, N.J., had "a steady day, but it rained in the late afternoon, which made the day end a little early," reported Katelyn Phillips, events coordinator, Jersey City. "But everyone who came to shop specifically mentioned that they were there to 'shop small,' which was really neat." She added, "I got to learn so much about customers I see regularly through helping them choose gifts for their family. Reminded me why I love working for an indie bookstore in the first place."