IndieBound

By Zoe Perzo Love & Legends Books in Brooklyn is an enchanting store that specializes in fantasy and science fiction. I met with Love & Legends co-owner Savanna Sturkie to learn more about the decision to open a genre-specific store, how she created the space, and how the store has grown in just a short span of time. Sturkie was a wedding photographer for roughly a decade before she decided it was time to try something new.

By Philomena Polefrone When Jules Wernersbach opened Hive Mind Books & Coffee in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, they did so in part to lean into the idea of the indie bookstore as a community space — for the community Bushwick, Brooklyn as well as the city’s LGBTQIA2S+ community more broadly. A few months from their two-year anniversary, it’s clear that they’ve done it in style. And along the way, they are saving a living monument to queer bookstore history.

By Zoe Perzo In Appleton, WI, The Tardigrade’s Bookshelf has become a delightful and inclusive haven for readers. The science-focused bookbar has coffee options that are available all day, specializes in low-alcohol drinks, and aims to create a comfortable environment where deeper conversations can flourish. It is also an explicitly neurodiverse-friendly space. The Tardigrade's Bookshelf owner, Katherine Freund, makes a coffee behind the bar at the bookstore.

By Zoe Perzo Opened by a group of friends who were disillusioned with the traditional bookstore hierarchy, Homeward Books Collective is a worker-owned bookstore in Tucson, Arizona, that aims to show others that it is possible to operate outside of traditional capitalist norms. Megan Downey and Lillie Watson, two of Homeward’s worker-owners, sat down with me to tell me more about the store’s origin, mission, and operation.

By Zoe Perzo Wijaya House is a cozy bookshop in Tempe, AZ, where customers can pursue a highly curated collection of titles or pick up a stunning custom floral arrangement. While combining books and flowers isn’t an unheard of combination, Wijaya owner Melati Parker has her own unique approach, so we sat down with her to learn more about the store. Parker opened Wijaya House in 2023 after stepping away from her corporate job after years of fighting burnout.

By Zoe Perzo Brandy Gonzalez first opened The Faun & the Fairy Bookstore in Gilbert, AZ, because she craved a bookstore that was closer to home. Today, her mobile bookstore serves not only the Gilbert area, but also makes occasional trips into the larger nearby cities. She regularly appears at farmers markets and festivals, and has even inspired a few others to open their own mobile stores.

In celebration of Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 25, independent bookstores have been sharing their plans, including special events, speakers, and bookshop crawls. If you are interested in partnering with a store or want to connect to learn more about their plans, feel free to reach out. Here are how some bookstores plan to spend the day, listed alphabetically by state. Plans are added here every week so check back for more.

By Zoe Perzo Wandering Quills Bookshop is a mobile bookshop that brings diverse voices to the communities all over the Columbus, Ohio, area. Pictured left to right: co-owners Anne Hampton and Kristen Quanrud I met with co-owners Anne Hampton and Kristen Quanrud to learn more about the shop! Hampton and Quanrud had been friends for several years before opening a bookshop together. “We met in 2021,” said Quanrud. “Anne actually used to work with my partner at an insurance company.

By Zoe Perzo In March of 2025, Stephanie Pao opened The Fleuria, a charming bookmobile based in Los Angeles that primarily carries romance titles. I sat down with Pao to learn more about her entry into the book industry, building out the bookmobile, and more. If you look at The Flueuia’s website and social media presence — full of beautifully designed and carefully curated content — it should come as no surprise that Pao worked in marketing before transitioning to bookselling.

By Courtney Wallace What do you get when you cross an artist with a bookworm? You get Bluestocking Social, an Indiana indie bookstore filled with books, art supplies, local artwork, and goods from small creatives across the country. It’s the kind of place where creativity happens on paper, through books, sketchpads, and the tools to make something by hand. Bluestocking Social is a thoughtfully curated space where stories and artistry meet.