Tomorrow, Saturday, April 29, is Independent Bookstore Day! Indie bookshops around North Carolina and beyond will be celebrating all day long.
Here’s what’s happening at a purveyor of independently cultivated books near you. Remember, #ShopLocal!
Bookmarks, Wiinston-Salem
Bookmarks will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for their new brick and mortar location at 10:00 am in the Breezeway at 634 West Fourth St. in downtown Winston-Salem. This free event will feature special remarks by Councilman Jeff MacIntosh; a construction-themed story time with children’s author Megan Bryant and her picture book, Dump Truck Duck; book sales; and a sneak-peek tour of Bookmarks’ new gathering space and nonprofit independent bookstore. For more info, click here.
Fiction Addiction, Greenville, SC
Line up in the morning for the first shot at the unique, limited edition products that will go on sale starting at 10:00 am. And while you’re here, grab some birthday cake (it’s Fiction Addiction’s sixteenth anniversary), provided by True Joy Bakery. Greenville author Mindy Friddle will be on-hand to sign the paperback release of My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop, in which her essay appears.
Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill
Flyleaf Books will host storytime at 11:00 am. Later, two special sessions, one at 2:00 pm and another at 4:00 pm, will feature Flyleaf staff in conversation about the ins and outs—and highs and lows—of bookselling, an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how the sausage is made, so to speak, in terms of peddling books. Exclusive and unique merchandise will also be on sale. Flyleaf is one of twelve Piedmont bookstores participating in IBOP*NC, where if you get enough stamps, you get prizes and stuff! Full details here.
Page 158 Books, Wake Forest
Your kid is going to freak out: Peppa Pig will be in the house at 10:00 am! At 11:00 am, the owners will chat about the future location of Page 158 over scones and waffles from Alimentaire Wholesome Breads. Other activities include trivia, a poetry slam (2:00 pm), and prizes. At 5:00 pm, the store closes so the booksellers can begin packing up and moving out to their temporary location at 317 E. Roosevelt Ave.! Full slate, here.
Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh
Starting at 10:00 am, there are family friendly activities happening all day, including storytime, a visit from therapy ponies, and a chance to “Make Your Own Little Golden Book.” At 3:00 pm, author Anne Barnhill will share her new novel, The Beautician’s Notebook, and at 7:00 pm it’s adult time: Literary Trivia Night! QRB is also one of a dozen Piedmont bookstores participating in the Field Guide to Indie Bookstores. Collect enough stamps and win prizes! Click here for full details.
The Regulator Bookshop, Durham
Children’s storytime begins at 10:30 am. The Regulator will raffle off a book-bag full of free books every hour starting at 11:00 am! They’ll have an “Oldest Discount Club Membership Card” contest, with the winner getting a $50.00 gift certificate, and two runners-up getting $25.00 gift certificates. (Check the date on your discount club card!). And from 4:00-5:00 pm there will be an Open Mic downstairs where folks can share their favorite poem, story, or passage, or favorite Regulator Bookshop story or memory. They’ll also be selling nifty Independent Bookstore Day canvas tote bags (14″ x 15″), with original artwork by Lisa Brown, for a mere $12.00. Click here for all the nitty gritty details.
Scuppernong Books, Greensboro
Also participating in the IBOP*NC challenge, Scuppernong will be partying all the live-long day. Want more details? Stop by between 10:00 am and 10:00 pm!
By no means is this a comprehensive listing. If you don’t see your local bookstore listed, go visit them anyway.Who knows what you might find in a stack of bookshelves just around the corner?