Dozens of independent bookstores across Austin and Central Texas saw a major surge in customers this weekend as part of the annual Austin Texas Book Trail.
The free, two-day, self-guided bookstore crawl featured 36 independent shops, including Birdhouse Books and Gifts in the Allandale neighborhood. Shoppers used printed maps to navigate between locations, taking advantage of special perks, discounts, prizes and pop-up events along the way.
Event cofounders Michelle Zhang and Jackie Rangel said the turnout continues to grow each year.
“Every year, the bookstores report between a two- and eight-time increase in sales and foot traffic,” Zhang said. “That’s awesome.”
Rangel added the goal is to keep local bookstores thriving.
“We love independent bookstores, and we want to make sure people know about them so they can support them and keep that small, local vibe in Austin,” she said.
The boost was especially noticeable for participating stores. Abby Strite, owner of Birdhouse Books & Gifts, said a typical busy Saturday brings in around 60 to 70 transactions. During last year’s Book Trail, that number jumped to more than 250 in a single day.
“I didn’t know how I could have prepared for that,” Strite said. “So this year, I made sure I did.”
The event also highlighted community support. Organizers collected more than 100 new and gently used books to donate to Lioness Books, a mobile bookseller in Leander that recently lost a large portion of its inventory in a fire. Lioness Books had been planning to open its first brick-and-mortar store in time for the event.
“We pivoted this year to help them recover,” Zhang said. “We dropped off about six boxes of books, and they were incredibly grateful.”
The Austin Book Trail continues to draw not just locals, but visitors as well, including one shopper who traveled from Seattle to join her sister in Austin for the event.
For a full map of participating bookstores, visit the Austin Texas Book Trail website.