Once again, New Orleans bookstores celebrated Independent Bookstore Day several weeks after the rest of the country--so as not to conflict with Jazz Fest. While this year's IBD was celebrated on Saturday, April 27, New Orleans stores Octavia Books, Garden District Book Shop, Tubby & Coo's Mid-City Book Shop, and Blue Cypress Books celebrated this past Saturday.
Customers who visited all four stores--receiving a sticker for each shop they visited in a passport--were eligible for a raffle to win a $50 gift card at each participating store. The stores also had their own events and offered the exclusive books, art and gifts created for Independent Bookstore Day.
Blue Cypress owner Elizabeth Alquist called IBD "great! We did 15% off new books, and free ARCs with $25 or more (or sometimes less), free totes with $75 or more. We also had a box of freebie goodies that we'd collected in addition to the IBD exclusive ones."
Octavia Books featured appearances by authors Susan Larson (see a picture of her "stand" below), Raymond Arroyo and Nigel Hamilton; a T-shirt created for the store by graphic artist Tom Varisco; and Taza Chocolate tastings all day.
Garden District Book Shop offered ARCs to anyone who made a purchase of $15 or more, and people who spent $20 in the humor section received a free signed Jenny Lawson poster.
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| Busy IBD at Garden District | |
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| Susan Larson, host of The Reading Life, offering free "book-iatric help" at Octavia Books | |