By BARBARA EBLING
Saturday in Brandon dawned gray and rainy: weather not compatible with hand-painted outdoor banners or helium balloons. It was perfect weather for staying indoors, doing some spring cleaning, planning the garden, or curling up with a good book. But this was no ordinary rainy Saturday; it was the last Saturday in April. And on this day, every year since 2013, rain or shine, independently owned bookstores nationwide have celebrated Independent Bookstore Day (IBD). And every year since 2020, The Bookstore in Brandon has participated. Would the rain keep people away? Would the lack of multicolored balloons and a giant banner on the front railing announcing INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE DAY mean that people would forget? Not a chance.
Bookstore colleagues Eli Fox and Barbara Ebling shifted the decorating efforts indoors, blew up balloons, hung streamers, straightened the shelves, set out cupcakes and brownies, and waited for the first customers to arrive. And they did. Longtime friend Tina Coombs arrived first (her daughter, Jenny, pictured here, visited later in the day). Following a pattern common to the ebb and flow of Indie Bookstore Day, there was conversation, followed by book shopping. Several supporters of The Bookstore noted that they put IBD on their calendar every year so they don’t miss it. Lynn Markowski, who came with daughter Brittany, and grandson Olsen (1 year, 4 days old) commented that last year was the only time they’ve missed it, because Olsen had been born four days earlier.
More than a dozen people throughout the day came with Vermont Bookstore Tour Passports in hand (“Visit all the locations – Stamp your passport – Earn a prize”) and were making the rounds of as many bookstores as possible in one day, collecting stamps (or a hand-drawn cartoon of “Bessie La Vache” – making a comeback from Barbara’s high school doodlings). According to vtbookstoretour.com (where you can download and print your own bookstore passport), “The Vermont Bookstore Tour was hatched by The Vermont Bookshop in Middlebury as a way to spread indie bookstore love. It’s been championed by bookstores around the state to introduce people to all our unique bookstore personalities. Every indie bookstore has its own vibe, which is just one reason they are so fun to visit and explore!” Bookstore pilgrims reported also stopping at Bear Pond Books in Montpelier, Bridgeside Books in Waterbury, Flying Pig Bookstore in Shelburne, Vermont Bookshop in Middlebury, and were headed south to Phoenix Books in Rutland, and even as far south as Northshire Bookstore in Manchester.
It can be hard to explain to “non-believers” the value of independent bookstores vs chain or online outlets. The distinction comes down to more than dollars and cents (although many indie bookstores – The Bookstore included – have loyalty programs that offer rewards or discounts that rival or surpass chains and online sellers). Bookstores are places of synergy and serendipity, where ideas are exchanged, acquaintances made, and friendships renewed. Bookstores and booksellers (like their siblings, libraries, and librarians) defend the right to read books, which includes preserving access to “banned books.”
Since 1982, the American Library Association has sponsored an annual Banned Book Week in October to raise awareness of the threat of censorship, to publicize the lists of books that have been challenged, and to remind Americans of the fragility of freedom. At Saturday’s Indie Bookstore Day, one of the day’s first customers asked bookstore staff members what their favorite banned books are and ended up leaving with three books by Margaret Atwood (author of The Handmaid’s Tale), The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K LeGuin, and Dear Martin by Nic Stone, all of which have appeared on the list of banned and challenged books. Furthermore, the selection of books in a bookstore doesn’t rely on a computer algorithm but is curated by the booksellers based on customer interests, colleague recommendations, and other non-programmable criteria.
In a world increasingly controlled by billionaires (including Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of a certain online book retailer), many customers recognize the value of supporting locally owned businesses where they experience human interactions and personal service. Sometimes, shopping locally means choosing community over cost. Indie Bookstore Day is a perfect snapshot of that distinction. Throughout the day last Saturday, families brought their kids and grandkids in to shop, to chat, to sample a cupcake. Neshobe student Gary Brodowski came with his grandmother and immediately noticed the manual typewriter stationed just inside the front door. “Oh cool, a typewriter!” he exclaimed, sat down, and began typing. This prompted older shoppers to reminisce about their own typewriter-related memories. Merchants, farmers, brewers, restaurant owners, and elected officials arrived throughout the day to show their support by shopping locally.
It was not lost on indie booksellers that the aforementioned online retailer was holding its own annual book sale, and the American Booksellers Association was ready with social media assets to respond: “An Am*zon book sale? On OUR weekend? If they want to go toe to toe with indies, good luck to them. WE DO IT BETTER. Indies don’t send celebrities to space, but we do support our local economy. Algorithms don’t throw parties. INDIES DO.”
We do, indeed!
