Independent Bookstore Day boom

Independent Bookstore Day is turning into a bookstore crawl, not a one-store sale, as more than 2,000 shops prepare events for Saturday, April 25. (bookweb.org) The American Booksellers Association said the 13th annual event will be its biggest yet, with stores signed up in all 50 states and U.S. territories. The group said more than 40 bookstore crawls are planned in more than half the states. (bookweb.org) That scale follows a year of store growth. The Guardian reported that about 422 independent bookshops opened in 2025, up 31%, and Fast Company said the U.S. indie bookstore count has risen about 70% since 2020. (theguardian.com) (fastcompany.com) The trade group is selling the day as a local event with exclusives, contests and in-store programming, and its April 10 press release said stores have been planning all year. Its public map is built around readers plotting routes, not just showing up for one stop. (bookweb.org 1) (bookweb.org 2) In Brookline, Massachusetts, Brookline Booksmith is advertising a Libro.fm Golden Ticket hunt, a merch sale, a raffle, a Book Industry Charitable Foundation fundraiser and Metro Boston Bookstore Crawl maps for April 25. Brookline.News listed the celebration as one of the town’s featured events for the week. (brooklinebooksmith.com) (brookline.news) In Seattle, 33 stores are participating in a 10-day passport challenge that runs from April 25 to May 4. Readers who visit all 33 get a stamp card good for a one-time 25% discount at each participating store through April 23, 2027, and readers who reach five stores get a single-use 25% coupon. (seattlebookstoreday.com) In Canada, Canadian Independent Bookstore Day falls on the same Saturday, April 25, and the national campaign is also pushing store visits, giveaways, discounts and author events. The organizing site says local booksellers are using the day to promote Canadian creators and neighborhood gathering spaces. (indiebookstores.ca) Kelowna, British Columbia, is bringing back its Bookshop Hop after launching it in 2025, with a passport built around visits to five shops. Local coverage there has framed the event as a citywide outing tied to Canadian Independent Bookstore Day rather than a single-store promotion. (kelownacapnews.com) (kelownanow.com) The American Booksellers Association said actor LeVar Burton is this year’s ambassador, but the bigger draw may be the route itself. On April 25, the pitch from booksellers in the U.S. and Canada is to spend the day moving from shop to shop. (bookweb.org)