Local bookstores celebrate their independence on Saturday
Forget Christmas, Thanksgiving or New Year's Eve. Karen Finlay has a different favorite holiday.
Independent Bookstore Day.
The co-owner of Alibi Bookshop at 624 Marin St. in Vallejo is excited that her store will be one of many across the nation celebrating a one-day party for independent bookstores held on the last Saturday in April. The store will have exclusives like signed editions of books, a golden ticket, raffles, and more giveaways.
"It's my favorite holiday because everyone is celebrating being in a bookstore," Finlay said. "Bookstores are so important to communities all over the world. It's so important, especially right now, because we're a constant in this world that is in trouble right now. People can come into our store and talk with me, and I can give them back empathy, understanding, and joy."
Christine Mayall, who has owned Bookshop Bencia for 32 years, feels the same way about Independent Bookstore Day.
"We've weathered the storm for 32 years, and we want to celebrate and thank the community," Mayall said. "We always look forward to celebrating the perseverance of independent book stores. And we have a lot of good ones nearby. We're each a little different, but we all support each other."
Bookshop Benicia, located at 636 First Street in Benicia, will have exclusive books and goodies along with raffles and "a wheel of discounts" at the checkout line. There will also be three scheduled theatrical story times by local high school students, free face painting (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), and free treats. There will also be an in-store DJ from 3 to 5 p.m.
"We also like some of the bigger book chains, but I think that independent bookstores reflect the community better," Mayall said. "The decisions each day are made by ourselves. We know our customers better, where bigger bookstores are usually corporate. We take pride that our store is also a place for people to hang out and run into people they know."
Finlay agreed that an independent bookstore is vital to the community and relishes that her store currently has four book clubs and a community group of approximately 40 people.
"People have become friends in this store, and that's something I love to see," Finlay said. "We had a member a little while ago who broke her wrist, and immediately the rest of the group was asking, 'How can we help?' They brought her food, books, and made her life easier. And that's something that might not have happened if we didn't have our community group.
"It would be egotistical to say I'm very important with this issue, but I think small businesses like ours are so important to a community," Finlay continued. "If you buy books from Amazon, you're giving money to billionaires. If you shop local, the money is going back into the community. Look, I never got into the book business to be rich. I got into the industry because I thought it was important. The little things I can do to make other people's lives better make everything worth it. But it does take a village."
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