Among stores with plans for this year's Indies First/Small Business Saturday:
Midtown Reader, Tallahassee, Fla., has a very full day planned for Saturday, November 28:
- The store's Kidtown Storytime will feature special guests Bri and her pup Sybil, who will read a story and then do a pop-up for her small business, Sybil's Sweet Spell: Dog Bakery & Boutique.
- Any customer who spends $100 or more will be entered into a raffle for a year's worth of free paperback books for 2027.
- In addition to the usual holiday displays showing off holiday themed gift cards, kids and adult books, and gift items like puzzles, journals, and more, the store will have a special display with gift bundles. Gift bundles include 3-4 items--for mom, dad, grandparents, kids, and more.
- The store is also offering blind date book bundles, with books wrapped and paired with bookish items like bookmarks, annotation tabs, stickers, and more. The books will have a few descriptive words and illustrations to give readers an idea what the book is about without giving away the title.
Byrd's Books, Bethel, Conn., is celebrating Indies First/Small Business Saturday several ways. Margot Mustich will do a signing for her new book, You Can't Rush Onions, from noon to 2 p.m. The store is also partnering with other women-owned businesses in Bethel for a passport program with the grand prize of a basket containing gift cards for each of the businesses. To be eligible, a customer needs to make a purchase on November 27 or 28 and have their card stamped. The more purchases and stamps, the more entries to win.
Watermark Book Company, Anacortes, Wash., is celebrating with a local author meet and greet. From noon until 3 p.m., Emma Comery will be on hand and promoting Have You Landed?, a collection of essays she wrote while interviewing military spouses.
Kew & Willow Books, Kew Gardens, N.Y., calls Indies First/Small Business Saturday "one of our favorite days of the year," and will celebrate in several ways: a final sale table, "a huge hit every year," will include "gems as low as $5"; local vendors will offer crochet items, handmade greeting cards, baked goods, and more; and a four-day online sale will start on Friday and run through Monday.
The Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, Mass., will celebrate with hot apple cider, cookies, and a Richard Scarry theme, with crafts and kids activities. In addition, 15% of all sales from Indies First will be donated to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.
The Galaxy Bookshop, Hardwick, Vt., will again hold its Week of Gratitude, during which, the store explained, "we give away bags filled with books and other fun items every day. This year is no different--beginning Sunday, November 22, and culminating on Small Business Saturday, November 28, some lucky customers will receive gift totes loaded with books. One bag will be given out each day, except on Small Business Saturday, when we will have FIVE lucky winners!"
Forage With Me Books, Nassau, N.Y., near Albany, which sells used, rare, and vintage books, is featuring two things on Indies First/Small Business Saturday. It's offering free shipping on every order placed through its site--in part to push shoppers toward buying direct from the store instead of a marketplace--and promoting a gift shelf drop that morning, a curated run of giftable vintage stock (classic sci-fi first editions, vintage RPG sets, local history) priced and listed fresh for the holiday weekend.