Many indie booksellers are sharing their bookish joy on social media this week during ABA's Winter Institute in Pittsburgh, Pa., including:
White Whale Books, Pittsburgh: "1,600 booksellers are descending on our city today for our national conference. This is our Super Bowl. Welcome to Stillers Tahn, Yinz!"
Neighborhood Reads, Washington, Mo.: "Hello from cold, snowy Pittsburgh! Dawn and Amanda toured awesome bookstores today at the American Booksellers Association Winter Institute! Dawn fell in love with @sparkbookspgh children's bookstore and Amanda basked in her for whales @whitewhalebks! Did you know Mr. Rogers grew up nearby and filmed his show Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood here? We were lucky to see his stage in the nearby Heinz @historycenter! We are excited to be here with booksellers from across the country--people Mr. Rogers would have called 'helpers.' "
The Well-Read Moose, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho: "Melissa and Anna Rose are in Pittsburgh this week for Winter Institute! It's a bookseller's dream + it's snowing and Melissa and Anna Rose are very happy to see some snow. They are learning lots, fueled by copious amounts of coffee, and grabbing books left and right in the galley room to bring back to the team."
Brenham Book Nook, Brenham, Tex.: "This week Stefani and Maggie are attending Winter Institute (a bookseller industry conference) in Pittsburgh, Pa., where it is SNOWING!!! Wish us warmth!"
Stone Soup Books, Waynesboro, Va.: "Stone Soup Books has arrived for the Winter Institute 2026 in Pittsburgh, PA! We drove through rain, sleet, snow and sunshine to get here--it's going to be a great week!!!!"
Ink Cap Books, Stoughton, Wis.: "So many friendly booksellers and beautiful stores were visited today! Stay Gold is a delightful little store with an excellent curation. White Whale is a beautiful store with friendly staff and a cafe! I appreciated their shelves of Whale themed books and gifts. Spark Books is a children's store full of whimsy and art. They had bead stations to make your own bracelet! Mystery Lovers welcomed us with a tote, coffee and cookies. What more could we ask for?"
Duck's Cottage Coffee & Books, Duck, N.C.: "Can yinz guess where #duckscottage is? Living the dream surrounded by #books and our tribe at #ABAwinterinstitute... stay tuned for more!"
Black Walnut Books, Glens Falls, N.Y.: "Self portrait of bookseller with galley room finds. Booksellers really really love books, and maneuvering in the galley room is basically an Olympic sport. I'm beyond excited about all of these incredible books, and can't wait to start reading them. Today our #abawinterinstitute keynote speakers were the legendary bookseller Miss Janet from @sourcebooksellers and @levar.burton which was incredible!"
Ink Drinkers Anonymous Bookstore, Muncie, Ind.: "We aren't in Indiana anymore. Keeley is currently excitedly attending #abawinterinstitute in Pittsburgh, PA this week. That means the shop will be closed until Saturday and we will come back ready to implement all the great things I learned."
Storyline Bookshop, Upper Arlington, Ohio: "We're out here in Pittsburgh for the annual industry conference to learn about new books JUST FOR YOU! So far we've heard from THE Levar Burton of Reading Rainbow and met with publishers about upcoming titles they are excited about. We also got to chat with our buds at @librofm and the amazing team at @bkmngr! Be back to Columbus soon with hot recommendations and new ideas for making Storyline the best community-centered bookshop in the world!"
The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, N.C.: "Maybe one of my favorite stories in all of the #abawinterinstitute #abawinterinstitute2026 @ujamaacommunitybookstore @kingsenglishbookshop @dragonflybooks."
Helianthus Books, Kansas City, Mo.: "I'm so excited to be in Pittsburgh for #ABAWinterInstitute to learn new things to make the store run more efficiently, to meet new and favorite authors, to find books that I know y'all will love, and to see bookseller friends both old and new."