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  • Independent Bookstore Day
  • Bookstores
  • Indie Exclusives
    • Chicago-Only Exclusives
  • Bus, Bike, or Run!
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  • Independent Bookstore Day
  • Bookstores
  • Indie Exclusives
    • Chicago-Only Exclusives
  • Bus, Bike, or Run!
  • Contact
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Map Out Your Bookstore Tour
Join us for the 2025 Chicagoland Indie Bookstore Day Crawl! This year we're back with #TEAMINDIE 

Each year our growing bookstore community welcomes thousands of bookstore lovers to spend the day celebrating all of the unique and welcoming independent bookstores in Chicagoland! 

To make it fun, each year we challenge you, dear reader, to "crawl" your way across the city and suburbs exploring as many bookstores as you can. If you make it to 10 bookstores and get your passport stamped at each one, you get 10% off at all participating bookstores until Indie Bookstore Day in 2026! Make it to 15 bookstores and get 15% off! Both 10 and 15 completions go home with some bookstore day swag and bragging rights to all their friends. 

How does it work? Starting the morning of April 26th, 2025, start at one bookstore and receive your passport for the day! While a purchase isn't required, we do hope you support these bookstores as you make it through the day. We suggest wearing a backpack or bringing/purchasing a tote! 

Now check out the map—which lists all the participating stores—and start planning your route!

Your first bookstore will provide you with a stamp. 

While this year's passport will have all store addresses and a QR to the map, it will not have a map on it, so plan ahead. 

Additional bookstores you visit throughout the day will provide you with a stamp -- no purchase required! (However, showing them some love that day, too, would of course be a very cool thing to do.)

And to remind you of the goals:

• Visit TEN stores in one day and get 10% off at all participating bookstores for an ENTIRE YEAR!

• Visit FIFTEEN stores in one day and get 15% off at all participating bookstores for an ENTIRE YEAR! 

After visiting 10 or 15 participating bookstores, on your last bookstore visit show your passport and receive a some swag!

Readers are encouraged to post a snapshot of themselves and their Independent Bookstore Day haul on social media with the hashtag #TEAMINDIE and #CHILOVEBOOKS

Plan out your Indie Bookstore Day Tour!

It was my first time attending, and I had so much fun and felt so involved in the community. I'll definitely be attending again next year.
-Almudena R. 

We had a great time, and we were able to finish our giant loop just before the storms came through. My kids go to school in Evanston so we are regular shoppers at Bookends and Beginnings. We all had fun visiting stores that were new to us and some long-time favorites that might now be a bit out of the way. 

-Jeanne M.

​Thanks so much for organizing this. Our kids said it was the best day :)
-Katherine A.

Such a fun event!! Can’t wait for next year.
-Alyssa B.

We had a great time discovering so many new stores! 
-Grace F.
It was a wonderful day.
-Karin N.

Thanks for a great day full of great books! I can't wait to get my discount card and go back to them all again soon!
-Angela F.

While I did visit 15 stores, I was too distracted by the books to remember to take photos at two of them. This was such a fun event!
-Corey B.

Thanks for organizing this! It was tough to hit all 15, but it was well worth it. Our stores are true gems, and I got so many great book recommendations!
-Rui C.
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  • Independent Bookstore Day
  • Bookstores
  • Indie Exclusives
    • Chicago-Only Exclusives
  • Bus, Bike, or Run!
  • Contact