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| Ready for the crowds at Quail Ridge, Raleigh, N.C. | |
On the second annual Independent Bookstore Day, celebrated by more than 400 indies on Saturday, participating bookstores reported enthusiastic crowds, significant gains in sales--and a lot of fun. Stores seemed even more creative this year in what they added to events. Among IBD's exclusive giveaways, the most popular at a range of stores were the Neil Gaiman coloring book and the bookstore cats zippered canvas pouches.
Texas Star Trading Co., Abilene, Texas, celebrated Independent Bookstore Day for the first time and turned it into a two-day event, with four book signings on Friday and Saturday. Co-owner Carol Dromgoole called it "our best sales weekend of the year." The store offered a 20% discount on all books, a free Texas flag book bag with any book purchase, a free book (ARCs and slightly damaged books) on any purchase of $25 or more and gave out coupons and free cookies. "Even customers who came in not knowing about the special weekend were excited when they got a free book," Dromgoole added.
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| Ann Castillo in conversation with Cyn Vargas at Women & Children First. | |
Independent Bookstore Day at Women & Children First, Chicago, Ill., was "a huge success," co-owner Sarah Hollenbeck wrote. "Despite the cold and rainy weather, we had steady foot traffic all day and were thrilled to see a 20% increase in sales compared to last year's Independent Bookstore Day."
Events at the store included Freda Love Smith, drummer and author of Red Velvet Underground, playing mostly original songs and ending with a cover of the Go-Gos' "Our Lips Are Sealed." In conversation with author and teacher Cyn Vargas, Ana Castillo, whose new book is the essay collection Black Dove: Mamá, Mi'jo, and Me, discussed increasing diversity in publishing and encouraged customers to "buy the books you want to see published."
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| Tom Noll at BookTowne. | |
At BookTowne, Manasquan, N.J., sales doubled over last year's IBD, owner Rita Maggio reported. "People really responded to all of our advertising." A highlight of the day was a signing by Tom Noll, author of the Trash to Treasure children's series.
The Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, Mass., had "another great Independent Bookstore Day," according to owner Joan Grenier. "Customers and staff were in a celebratory mood. The Neil Gaiman coloring book sold out quickly. The shelfie photo booth a huge success. Literary trivia mistress Stace Williams (aka Ingram sales rep) had a difficult time stumping several of our well-read customers. And the lemonade and amazing homemade pastries by Carlene were delicious. It was a great way to end the month."
At the end of the day on Saturday, Michael Barnard of Rakestraw Books, Danville, Calif., wrote to customers that it had been "a lively day of books, conversation, and lots of temporary tattoos! From the minute we opened the doors this morning and throughout the day, your enthusiasm for books and for this indie bookstore in particular have been marvelous. Thank you for making this day (and, let's be honest) so much fun.
Even before Politics & Prose, Washington, D.C., opened on Saturday, customers lined up outside wanting to be sure to get the Neil Gaiman coloring book, which co-owner Bradley Graham wrote was "the hit of the day for us." Other popular IBD items included the signed Anthony Bourdain "Perfect Burger" print and the bookstore cats zippered canvas pouches.
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| High fives at Politics & Prose. | |
Any customers who recited the store's motto--"so many books, so little time"--received a wrapped galley, delivered with a high-five to the customer. Graham noted, "We couldn't guarantee everyone got something they liked, because none of us knew in each case just what work was contained in the wrapping. But hopefully we introduced people to genres they might not otherwise have read and created some new fans."
In addition, the children's department hosted a book-making class for kids, and the newly renovated coffeehouse, the Den, offered a specially-baked batch of book-themed cookies, dubbed "bookies."
Politics & Prose's three author events on Independent Bookstore Day focused on local writers. Louisa Thomas discussed Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams with WAMU producer Tayla Burney. Then a group of writers who have published books on the store's Espresso Book Machine, aka Opus, did a reading. And finally debut novelist Dana Cann talked about Ghosts of Bergen County, an event Graham called "a reminder of the role of independent bookstores in supporting and developing talent."
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| Harvard Book Store after hours. | |
Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, Mass., ended Independent Bookstore Day in cool fashion: it held an "after hours" event with Kelly Link and Samantha Hunt that marketing coordinator: procedures & promotions Serena Longo called "pure magic" and "some of the best fun I've had in my bookselling career." The sold-out event had a "bustling but still intimate crowd of 60 people," each of whom had a Harvard Book Store flashlight that came with their ticket.
The two authors read and shared, Longo wrote, "some truly spine-chilling stories, after which we opened up the darkened store for midnight browsing by flashlight. The energy in the stacks was just amazing--a real palpable sense of the sheer joy of books. Both customers and staff approached me over and over throughout the evening just to express how wonderful it was and beg us to do it again."