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Boston-area bookstores celebrate independent bookstore Day

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Katie Delaney

April 29, 2023

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            As I entered Brookline Booksmith on Saturday an employee offered me a yellow slip of paper, saying “would you like a one dollar off coupon?” I eagerly accepted and said “oh, absolutely.”

            By the store’s entrance there were also more treats, like raffle baskets and a scavenger hunt with items such as “a horse reading a book,” “a big tree,” and “the Very Hungry Caterpillar” to check off.

            It was not just any Saturday at Brookline Booksmith—the festivities were all for Independent Bookstore Day. Bookstores in the Boston area and around the country celebrated the 10th annual Independent Bookstore Day.

            Independent Bookstore Day is a national one-day party that takes place at indie bookstores on the last Saturday of April, featuring authors, live music, food, games, art, readings, exclusive books and more.

            Brookline Booksmith was buzzing with events all throughout the day. Ellen Johnson, the store’s social media manager and Silas Winer, the events assistant, showed me around the store and guided me through the events of the day.

            “There are so many things going on,” Johnson said. One of them was a book fishing event. “We have a fishing rod and bait that’s going to be different book genres. Then you cast your fishing pole, and you reel in a mystery surprise book for free.”

            Winer showed me the store’s new dynamic event space, as two authors who did a reading there were leaving. In the space the shelves are all on wheels and can be easily moved over to clear the floor for events.

            Winer said that especially during events like those, “we see that reciprocal relationship of us giving to the community and us getting back from the community.”

            According to Winer, this relationship is part of why it’s so important to support indie bookstores. “I think it’s just really important to have independent bookstores that employ the community. You know, the money’s going back into the community,” he said.

            I then did some book browsing myself and talked to some customers. I approached Lou Murphy, who with 5 books stacked in their arms, seemed like they were having a successful shop. They were out shopping for books with their girlfriend in honor of Independent Bookstore Day. “It’s been delightful,” they said.

            To Murphy, it’s important to shop at independent bookstores, not just for the holiday, but every day. “I think it's absolutely so crucial because it's like, you can get this on Amazon or Target for 15 bucks, but it's just like, they don't care about the profit margin” they said, lifting a book. “Amazon in particular, undercuts the prices so much to create a monopoly on bookstores. So, it's like you have to come here to support local bookstores or they go away,” Murphy said.

            On my way out, I stopped by the “free table,” where customers eagerly sorted through stickers and stacks of t-shirts, and I did a little shopping myself.

            Free t-shirt in tow, I headed to my next destination: Porter Square Books in Cambridge.

            Josh Cook, co-owner and marketing director, while on a break between the many events of the day, took some time to tell me about the festivities at Porter Square Books. The “big centerpiece,” Cook said, was the Bookseller Bake-Off, where booksellers bake treats from some of the cookbooks in the store, and people sample them and vote on the winner.

            They also had an event with M.T. Anderson, a National Book Award winning writer. Cook said that one of valuable things about independent bookstores is that they support authors.

            “It's independent bookstores that tend to champion the marginalized, the less famous, the less supported books and authors. There's a lot of what makes books special that just wouldn't happen without the support of independent bookstores,” he said.

            I asked Cook about how independent bookstores stay afloat as more and more people shop online and buy books from places like Amazon, now the largest book retailer in the world. He said it’s their excellent selection that keeps customers coming.

            “Unlike a lot of the big corporations, you can actually just walk up to me and get a book recommendation. You can tell me what you love, what you dislike, and I will find that amazing book,” Cook said.

            After talking with Cook, I approached a group of women—Deanna, Kayla and Debbie—each with books in their arms after a successful shop at Porter Square Books. It turns out, I caught them at their fifth bookstore of the day. The group shopped at bookstores all around the Boston area in honor of Independent Bookstore Day, before making their final stop at Porter Square Books.

            For the trio, supporting small businesses is important, particularly on days like Independent Bookstore Day.

“Independent bookstores support authors in the way that big bookstores don’t,” Kayla said. “And communities too,” Deanna added. “They’re more likely to support the communities than like Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million.”

            Debbie told me her favorite part of shopping at independent bookstores: “we found what we were looking for, and even what we weren’t looking for.”