Bookstores and their employees put on a tremendous community effort for Independent Bookstore Day, but some book industry folks were able to get outside their regular stores to participate in all the fun.
On Seattle Bookstore Day, one interstate bookloving team, Team Snack Pack, documented their epic journey:
Indie Bookstore Day was so much fun! Katie Mehan [Random House sales rep], Emily Adams [Third Place Books bookseller], Caitlin Baker [University Bookstore bookseller], and I visited 19 stores in about 12 hours on Saturday. We were powered by Emily’s fresh baked scones, Caitlin’s savory snacks, Katie’s superior driving skills, chili dogs from a food demo at Book Larder, cookies too numerous to remember, and ultimately a celebratory shot of tequila at our final stop, Elliott Bay. It was a combination of three of my favorite things: bookstores, road trips, and good friends. I can’t wait for next year.
–Shawn Donley, Powell’s Books, Portland; President of Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association
My favorite part was continually running into other participants. There were several other groups on our ferry out of Kingston, and we sat with new friends for part of the ride. We saw Tracy Taylor [Elliott Bay Book Company manager] at Phinney Books, and a family of four champions turned in their completed passports while we were there. We ran into Team Sasquatch [including Sasquatch Book’s marketing coordinator and their designer who created last year’s passport] and James Crossley [Island Books bookseller] & friends several times throughout the day. The air of festivity was undeniable!
–Emily Adams, Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, WA; PNBA board member
Meanwhile, Seattle-based regional sales reps Colleen Conway and Deanna Meyerhoff were having their own little adventure:
Thanks to #hamilton for being our soundtrack today but we are giving away our shot (at all 17 #seabookstoreday stores!) BUT we made it to six, including the awesome @phinneybooks Please shop at all of them!! @dmeyerhoff #prhseattlekidsreps — with Deanna Meyerhoff [Random House Kids sales rep].
–Colleen Conway, Penguin Kids sales rep, via twitter; PNBA board member
Big thanks to everyone who participated in the fun of Independent Bookstore Day and Seattle Bookstore Day! I hear there were over 100 (!!!) Indie Bookstore Champions who completed the 17-store Seattle Bookstore Day passport challenge this year.
Nice work out there people.
And for one person, a nice workout. I hear one guy pulled off the whole 17-store tour on a bike.