Independent Bookstore Day 2024 is just over a week away, and all around the country bookstore crawls and passport challenges are already in progress or waiting to begin.
In Seattle, Wash., 28 indie bookstores are taking part in the Bookstore Day Passport Challenge, but this year, customers will have from April 27 to May 6 to visit all the stores. Readers can pick up their passports on IBD, and those who turn in a completed passport by May 6 will earn a Bookstore Day Champion Stamp Card, good for a one-time 25% discount at each participating store. Those who collect at least five stamps will receive a single 25%-off coupon to use at any one of the participating stores. The list of participating stores can be found here.
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Five indies near South Charleston, W.Va., are teaming up for the area's first ever Bookshop Hop. Shoppers have April 27 & 28 to visit the participating stores and get their passports stamped at each, and turning in a completed passport will earn a special, commemorative T-shirt. The participating stores are: Plot Twist Books, Cicada Books & Coffee, the Inner Geek, Booktenders, and Broadway Books.
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In southeast Nebraska, the second annual Lincoln & Seward Independent Bookstore Crawl has begun. Readers have been able to pick Bookstore Crawl postcards at participating stores since April 14, and they have until the end of the day on April 27 to collect stamps from as many as possible. Those who complete the crawl will have a chance to win a variety of prizes, and participating stores include: Sower Books, Elleinad Books, A Novel Idea Bookstore, Indigo Bridge, Francie & Finch Bookshop, Chapters Books & Gifts, and Badger's Bookshop.
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From April 27-29, 13 indies will be participating in the San Diego Book Crawl. Readers can receive a passport with a purchase of at least $10 at any participating store. Purchases of the same minimum amount will earn them passport stamps at other stores, and shoppers will receive prizes based on the amount of stamps they've collected. On Independent Bookstore Day itself, the Book Crawl will also offer shuttle buses with three options: stops at six stores, nine stores, or all 13 stores. The shuttle buses are being supplied by UC San Diego, and all shuttles will begin and end at UCSD.
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Five bookstores in Vermont and New Hampshire are working together once more for the Upper Valley Indie Bookstore Crawl. On April 27, readers will be able to pick up an Indie Bookstore Crawl map at any of the participating stores and have until the end of the day to collect every stamp. Completed maps will be entered into a drawing for a prize package. The participating stores are Yankee Bookshop in Woodstock, Vt., Still North Books & Bar in Hanover, N.H., Left Bank Books in Hanover, N.H., Cover to COVER Books in White River Junction, Vt., and the Norwich Bookstore in Norwich, Vt. Jenna Shepard, bookseller at Yankee Bookshop, drew this year's map.
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In Edmonton, Alberta, 11 indies are joining forces for the first-ever Edmonton Book Crawl. Book lovers have the weekend to visit participating stores and get their passports stamped; those who collect every stamp will be entered to win a "Fantastic Hamper of Bookish Goodies," filled with prizes from every store.
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The Buffalo Bookstore Passport went live on April 13, with 12 stores in the Buffalo, N.Y., area taking part. Readers have until the end of Indie Bookstore Day to collect all 12 passport stamps, and if they do, they'll be entered to win a $25 gift card from each participating store, for a total value of $300. Four stores in the greater Buffalo area are also participating as bonus bookstores, with their stamps counting as additional prize entries.
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The third annual Lakeland Book Crawl will begin on April 22 and run until Indie Bookstore Day. Seven stores around Lakeland, Fla., are participating, and each day leading up to IBD will feature a special promo at one or two of the seven stores. Throughout the week, customers will be able to scan QR codes at the stores and be entered to win a pair of custom bookends created by a local artist.