Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day on April 27

Fifteen independent bookstores across Northern Virginia, Frederick, MD, and Wardensville, WV are partnering on a special Passport program to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day 2024. The Passport will introduce book lovers to more of our region’s growing bookstore scene, and offer them a way to celebrate with their favorites.

Each store will be celebrating on Saturday, April 27 with their own festivities, but each will be handing out this unique Passport. Shoppers then have another month to visit as many stores as they’d like to collect store stamps. Once they have visited 4 stores, they can collect a book prize.

Those who visit 8 stores earn a tote bag. And, readers who visit at least 10 of the participating stores by May 31 can enter to win the Grand Prize. 

Independent Bookstore Day (Indie Bookstore Day) was established in 2013 to promote, celebrate, and highlight the value of the independent bookstore community. The day has been observed on the last Saturday of April every year since 2013. This year, there are more than 900 stores participating across the country.

The participating stores for the 2024 Indie Bookstore Day Passport program in the area are:

• Bards Alley, 110 Church St. NW, Vienna, VA 22180
  o Contact: info@bardsalley.com, (571) 459-2653
• Birch Tree Bookstore, 11 West Market Street Leesburg, VA 20176
  o Contact: Leah Fallon leah@birchtreebookstore.com 415-948-8057
• Curious Iguana 12 North Market Street Frederick, MD 21701. 
  o Contact: info@curiousiguana.com, (301) 695-2500
• Fonts Books & Gifts, 6262 Old Dominion Dr., McLean, VA 22101
  o Contact Amber Taylor, amber@fontsbooks.com, 571-327-3667
• Hundred Acre Books – 172 E Davis St, Culpeper, VA 22701
  o  Contact Heather Griffin, hundredacrebookshop@gmail.com, 540-547-7105
• HOORAY for Books!, 1555 King St, Alexandria, VA 22314
  o  Contact Ellen Klein, ellen@hooray4books.com, 703-548-4092
• Middleburg Books, 17 South Madison Street, Middleburg, VA 20117
  o Contact Mary Beth Morell – mbmorell@middleburgbooks.com
• Old Town Books, 130 South Royal Street, Alexandria VA 22308
• One More Page Books, 2200 N Westmoreland St., Arlington, VA 22213
  o  Contact info@onemorepagebooks.com 
• The Open Book Warrenton, 104 Main Street, Warrenton VA 2018, 540-878-5358
• Scrawl Books, 11911 Freedom Drive, Reston, VA
  o Contact info@scrawlbooks.com 
• Spelled Ink llc, 132 W Main Street, Orange, VA 22960
  o  Contact Cindy Pagan, books@spelledink.com, 540-547-8190 
• A Thousand Stories 
  o Contact info@athousandstoriesherndon.com 571-426-7559
• Winchester Book Gallery, 7 North Loudoun Street, Winchester, VA 22601
• o Contact info@winchesterbookgallery.com  540.667.3444
• WordPlay, 50 W Main Street, Wardensville WV 26851
  o Contact info@wordplaywv.com, 304-897-2233

Independent Bookstore Day is organized by the American Booksellers Association, a national not-for-profit trade organization, that works with booksellers and industry partners to ensure the success and profitability of independently owned book retailers, and to assist in expanding the community of the book. 

Birch Tree Bookstore, located in historic downtown Leesburg will be hosting its second annual Local Author Showcase, hosting more than 10 local authors from 12-3 pm. Storytime with Madame E will be at 10:30 am. Birch Tree is partnering with a few local businesses that will offer 10% off with proof of purchase from Birch Tree Books.