Birmingham bookstores to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day this weekend
Created by the American Booksellers Association, Independent Bookstore Day is held each year on the last Saturday in April to celebrate non-corporate bookstores across the country.
'It's sort of like a Christmas in the indie bookselling world,' said Kristen Iskandrian, co-owner of Thank You Books in Birmingham. 'It's a day to celebrate the store, the community around the store. Bookstores around the country often celebrate and do so in different ways with events, programs and giveaways. It's sort of intended to be an all-day party, and the real focus of it is to draw attention to the importance of independent bookstores in local economies and the importance of small businesses in our communities.'
The celebration at Thank You Books will last from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and will feature a story time, exclusive deals, a happy hour and more.
'There will be a craft for kids and coffee for the adults. We have some really cool giveaways, including a Warby Parker $95 gift card, as well as some other fun items. We have a really cute Richard Scarry 'Lowly Worm' photo booth that we'll set up outside, and we'll have a camera so we can take photos of folks for little keepsakes that they can take home with them,' Iskandrian said.
Discussing the future of Pepper Place with Leigh Sloss-Corra and Cathy Sloss Jones
The slogan for Thank You Books is 'Find your book. Find your people,' and Iskandrian says there are plenty of ways to get involved.
'We feel so lucky to get to be an actual neighborhood bookstore, so we always want to center and celebrate our neighborhood,' Iskandrian said.
'We are so busy with events and programming that's dotting the calendar over the next few months, and the best way to stay in the know about that stuff is to sign up for our newsletter on our website,' she added.
A list of the upcoming author events, book clubs and other events being offered by Thank You Books can be found here.
Little Professor, another independently owned bookstore, will host an Indie Bookstore Day celebration at both its Homewood and Pepper Place locations.
From 9 a.m. 2 p.m. Saturday, Little Professor will host a 'Local Love Market' at their Homewood location, giving people the chance to buy products from local artists and small businesses. Other events hosted by can be found here.
More information on Independent Bookstore Day can be found on the Alabama Booksellers Association's website. More independently owned bookstores in Alabama can be found here.
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