On Saturday, Aug. 29, more than 600 local bookstores around the country will celebrate Independent Bookstore Day 2020. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Bethel's Byrd's Books will join in the celebration, though a bit differently than in years past. Postponed from its usual annual April date, Independent
Bookstore Day events will be hosted throughout the day via Zoom for free by the American Booksellers Association and a special Story Time reading of The Little Engine That Could by State Representative Raghib Allie-Brennan will kick off the day on Facebook. (See below for details.) Though mingling in the popular biblio-hangout will be limited to touch-free purchasing, the buzz that the day shares is still a much needed shot in the arm as we adjust to new ways of community and coming together.
Byrd's Books plans a sale of in-store inventory, so the bookstore can begin the process of ordering for the fall and winter months. It will offer 25 percent off any hardcover and 15 percent off any paperback (on store stock only) on Friday Aug. 28 and Saturday Aug. 29. Special merchandise (think holiday gifting) will be available from Saturday onward and only while supplies last.
The 2020 Independent Bookstore Day Ambassador, World Series-winning pitcher for the Washington Nationals and avid reader, Sean Doolittle, says, “I love indie bookstores because I love the safe and inclusive spaces that they create for the people in their communities. They’re more than just places to shop. They are community centers that promote and host important events about issues that impact their communities. They promote authors and give them a space to promote their works and further their careers. They provide good jobs. They pay taxes. But most importantly, indie bookstores provide really unique spaces that capture the spirit of their communities to promote reading.”
To learn more about the event, visit indiebookstoreday.com, and to put you in the indie mood, click here to watch author V.E. Schwab and MLB player Sean Doolittle talk books, baseball and quarantine.
Visit Byrd's Books online here. Byrd's Books is now open weekly Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. for quick touch-free purchasing and pick-up of bagged prepaid books.
