26-04-2025
Independent Bookstore Day is April 26: Here are the participating indie shops in Florida
Booklovers everywhere will be heading to their local indie shops Saturday, April 26, for Independent Bookstore Day.
Independent Bookstore Day, a "national one-day party" hosted by the American Booksellers Association on the last Saturday in April every year, hopes to bring attention to all the locally owned bookstores where you can get wander through the stacks, discover unexpected treasures, get great recommendations from friendly shopowners, and pet the cats.
More than 1,600 bookstores across the country are joining in this year's IBD celebrations and many will offer some of the 2025 limited edition exclusive merchandise. Many participating bookstores take the opportunity for a few sales of their own, plus local author appearances, games and other special events.
The Family Book Shop in DeLand is going all out for its 10th IBD, with a $5 coupon, multiple giveaways including a $50 gift certificate, signed books, specialty books and book-related merchandise.
"This year we also will have a special gift for the first 50 sales," said Kerry Johnson, co-owner of the shop, in an email, "and a gift for anyone who buys a banned book."
Independent Bookstore Day is Saturday, April 26, 2025. Check your local bookstore for store hours.
Independent Bookstore Day started in California in 2014 to bring customers away from big retailers and back into local shops in their own communities. It was modeled after the highly successful Record Store Day, according to the ABA.
Publishers will often show their support by creating unique, limited-edition books, often in special formats, signed by the authors or with creative add-ons, and fun book-based accessories and clothing only available on Independent Bookstore Day along with free stickers and other handouts.
This year, some stores will offer exclusive IBD merch such as author-signed books like the blockbuster romantasy "Lightlark" by Alex Aster, "Horror Movie" by Paul Tremblay and "Hot Mess (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #9)" by Jeff Kinney, an exclusive paperback edition of "What You Are Looking For Is In The Library" by Michiko Aoyama, tote bags, hats, t-shirts, Blackwing pencils, posters, prints, and a Frog and Toad coloring book to tie in with the beloved 1981 children's books and the recent Apple TV+ series.
Johnson said IDB is their single largest sales day of the year. "We look at it as a way to say thanks to our customers and to recognize the value and importance of independent bookstores to our community."
While any indie bookstore is worth checking out, these are the ones in Florida celebrating Independent Bookstore Day. The stores indicated will be offering the exclusive IBD merch while supplies last. You also can search the map.
Bal Harbour: Books & Books at Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., Suite 204 (carrying exclusives)
Brooksville: Citrus and Sage Bookshop, 309 S Main St. (carrying exclusives)
Clermont: Sunshine Book Co, 647 Lake Ave. (carrying exclusives)
Cocoa: hello again books, 411 Brevard Ave. (carrying exclusives)
Cape Coral: A Novel Bookshelf
Coconut Grove: Books & Books, 3409 Main Highway (carrying exclusives)
Coral Gables: Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave. (carrying exclusives)
Deerfield Beach: Steamy Lit, 161 NE 2nd Ave. (carrying exclusives)
DeLand: Family Book Shop, 1301 N. Woodland Blvd. (carrying exclusives)
Fort Myers: Blinking Owl Books, 2150 W. First St.
Gainesville:
Compass Collective
The Lynx, 601 South Main St.
Jacksonville:
Cafe Resistance, 5007 Soutel Drive
Femme Fire Books, 2766 Park St. STE 1
San Marco Books and More, 1971 San Marco Blvd. (carrying exclusives)
Key West: Books & Books at the Studios, 533 Eaton St. (carrying exclusives)
Kissimmee: White Rose Books & More, 113 Broadway (carrying exclusives)
Lakeland:
Inklings Book Shoppe, 243 N. Florida Ave.
Little Bus Books, LLC, Lakeland
Melbourne: Onyx Gifts and Books, 827 East Strawbridge Ave
Neptune Beach: The Book Mark, 220 1st St.
Orlando:
Park Ave CDs, 2916 Corrine Drive (carrying exclusives)
Spiral Circle, 750 N Thornton Ave
Ormond Beach:
Fern and Fable Books, LLC, 51 W. Granada Blvd. (carrying exclusives)
Novel Tea Book Shop, 150 Tomoka Ave. (carrying exclusives)
Oviedo: Wall of Books, 119 N. Central Ave., Suite 1001
Panama City: Bookish Boutique, 456 Harrison Avenue
Pensacola: Bodacious Bookstore & Cafe, 110 E. Intendencia St. (carrying exclusives)
Pinecrest: Books & Books at Suniland Shops, 11297 South Dixie Highway (carrying exclusives)
Punta Gorda: Copperfish Books, 212 W Virginia Ave., Suite 112
Safety Harbor: Portkey Books, 404 Main St. (carrying exclusives)
Sanford: Spellbound Bookstore, 105 N. Oak Ave.
Sanibel: MacIntosh Books and Paper, 1620 Periwinkle Way (carrying exclusives)
Santa Rosa Beach: Sundog Books, 89 Central Square Seaside (carrying exclusives)
St. Augustine: Needful Books and Things, 520 W Twincourt Trail (carrying exclusives)
St. Petersburg:
Book + Bottle, 17 6th Street N (carrying exclusives)
The Story Garden, 832 14th Street North
Tombolo Books, 2153 1st Ave. S (carrying exclusives)
Tallahassee:
Common Ground Books, 128 N. Bronough Street (carrying exclusives)
Midtown Reader, 1123 Thomasville Road (carrying exclusives)
Tampa:
Black English Bookstore, 401 East Oak Avenue
Bookends: Literature & Libations, Tampa (carrying exclusives)
Mojo Books & Records, 2554 E. Fowler Ave. (carrying exclusives)
Oxford Exchange, 420 W. Kennedy Blvd. (carrying exclusives)
Winter Garden: The Writer's Block Bookstore, 32 W. Plant Street (carrying exclusives)
Winter Park: The Writer's Block Bookstore, 316 N. Park Avenue (carrying exclusives)
Even if it doesn't appear in the list, check with your local bookseller to what what they have going on that day.
If you can't get out or there's not a store near you, you can also use online indie bookstore search sites such as which lets you search through independent bookstore inventory with a cut of sales going back into those stores.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Independent Bookstore Day is April 26. Find Florida stores to shop
