The Ottawa Indie Bookstore Crawl, a three-day event supporting Ottawa’s independent book retailers, coincides with Canadian Independent Bookstore Day on April 29. It’s a day to honour local businesses, authors, and readers contributing to Canada’s literary ecosystem. Not all stops on the route are within walking distance of one another, but they are all near OC Transpo stops for more accessible travel, or you can also ride your bike between shops if you’re a cycling fan.
“The Ottawa Indie Book Crawl is a fun opportunity for the Ottawa community to explore their local independent bookstores,” said Cole Davidson, co-founder of The Spaniel’s Tale Bookstore, in an email to Apt613. “Some people may not be familiar with any of us, while others may only be familiar with one or two of us. This gets people out and about in the community, exploring the different bookstores to see what makes us all unique.”
Six local bookstores are featured in the crawl, including Books on Beechwood, Octopus Books, Perfect Books, Singing Pebble Books, The Spaniel’s Tale Bookstore, and World of Maps. It’s the first time all the participating bookstores will host a book crawl together.
Image provided.
“Each of our stores is as unique as the communities they serve, but we all share a common goal,” said Lisa Greaves, owner of Octopus Books, in a press release. “It’s about putting more books in more hands.”
Crawlers can collect stamps at each stop, with a chance to win $150 to spend at any of the stores. Each shop will honour the day in its unique way, which involves events, contests, and sales. The Spaniel’s Tale, for example, is participating in the National Book Lovers contest on April 29, where the winner will be awarded $1,000 to spend at any independent bookstore in Canada.
“We also have lots of in-store giveaways for free books and a social media giveaway, and an exclusive signed Ann Cleeves novella that’s only available at indie bookstores,” said Davidson. “On Saturday afternoon, we have author Amy Tector coming in to sign her books and meet readers. To top it all off, we have free stickers and swag that we’re giving out, and we’re giving people the opportunity to write ‘love notes to indies’ on our windows, telling us what they love about indie bookstores.”
Davidson added that supporting independent bookstores supports your local community: “Indies cater to their neighbourhoods, employ people in the community, shop at their neighbours’ stores, support local causes, and host events. They are active members of the community. According to a study by Civic Economics in the U.S., when you shop at an independent bookstore, 30 cents of every dollar you spend stays in your community, compared to 14 cents with the big chains and less than 6 cents with Amazon. Shopping local builds stronger communities.”
The Ottawa Indie Bookstore Crawl runs from April 28 to 30, starting at 10am on Friday. This event is free for all participants.
