IndieBound Blog

Since opening Spelled Ink in Orange, Virginia, owner Cindy Pagan has been adamant about finding unique ways to serve her community. Today, the store features notary services, events for homeschooling families, and partnerships with multiple organizations, including the local food bank.

In celebration of Independent Bookstore Day on April 26, independent bookstores shared their plans, including special events, speakers, and bookshop crawls.

44th & 3rd Bookseller is a family-owned bookstore whose mission is to be a source of unbiased literature that shares the rich cultural experience of the Black community. Co-founder Cheryl Lee met with Bookselling This Week to share her story.

The Food Temptress Cookbook Store in Virginia Beach, VA, specializes in cookbooks written by Black authors. As the owner and sole employee, Rekaya Gibson is on a mission to “connect customers to cookbooks by Black authors that inspire creativity and preserve food traditions.” 

I met with Gibson to learn more about the store’s origin, mission, and operation. 

The King’s English Bookshop has been serving Salt Lake City, Utah, since 1977. With 47 years of bookselling behind it, I met with co-owner Anne Holman to learn more about the store’s history, its growth, and what’s in store for the future.

Em and Em’s Books is an online and pop-up independent bookstore based in Buffalo, New York. As a queer and partially native-owned business, focuses on work by LGBTQIA2S+, BIPOC, and women authors and donates a portion of the profits each month to a different charity or nonprofit. 

I met with co-owners Emma Hayes and Emily Graham to learn more about the store’s origin, operation, and future goals.