More than a dozen local independent bookstores are uniting this April for a cross-bay book crawl to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day. The month-long activation showcases how beautiful and varied our indie bookstore scene is in the area, with everything from welcoming children’s bookstores to decidedly spicy adult stores, and every genre you could want in between. You can have coffee, you can have wine, and you’ll certainly go home with plenty of bookmarks. No matter your tastes or who you’re shopping for, there’s somewhere in the region that’s perfect for you.
The Bay Area Book Crawl operates very simply. The goal is to visit all 13 participating shops April 1-25, with the 25th marking Independent Bookstore Day. Starting now, you can pick up a passport at any of the bookstores and start getting stamps on each visit. Fill up your passport and then you have a chance to win special literary-themed prizes.
Honestly, we don’t even need the enticement of prizes. We’ll take any excuse to hop around to our favorite bookstores. It’s also an excellent opportunity to discover new spots or finally visit the store we keep hearing everyone talk about. This is the kind of thing you can make a day of. Spend a day in St. Pete strolling and reading along the Central Avenue corridor, where you can hit three of the stops in a bustling 16-block stretch. Take an afternoon to yourself in Ybor to sip cafecito and get lost in the pages. Hit Tarpon Springs for sponge docks, spanakopita, and a fantasy novel.
No matter how you do it, we’re excited to join the celebration. Here are the participating bookstores:
Back in the Day Books – 355 Main St, Dunedin
Black English – 401 E Oak Ave, Tampa
Book + Bottle – 17 6th St N, St. Pete
Bookends Literature & Libations – 2208 E 2nd Ave, Tampa
The Book Lounge – 631 Central Ave, St. Pete
The Gilded Page – 123 E Court St, Tarpon Springs
Oxford Exchange – 420 W Kennedy Blvd, Tampa
Pages & Perks – 914 MLK Jr St S, St. Pete
Portkey Books – 404 Main St, Safety Harbor
Steamy Lit – 2832 S MacDill Ave, Tampa
The Story Garden – 832 14th St N, St. Pete
Tombolo Books – 2153 1st Ave S, St. Pete
Wilson’s Book World – 535 16th St N, St. Pete
If you need even more bookish fun, there’s a new bookstore coming to the Warehouse Arts District this year, and we’ve been thoroughly enjoying the inside look as Reverie Room documents the journey of opening an indie bookstore.
In the meantime, you can also peruse our guide to the best new and used bookstores in the area.