Evanston’s bookstores were buzzing Saturday as bibliophiles from across the Chicago area trekked across the city on an Independent Bookstore Day crawl. 

Bookends & Beginnings and Booked were two of more than 50 independent bookstores to participate in the Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl. As part of the event, shoppers visited 10 or 15 stores in one day to secure a 10% or 15% discount from all participating stores for the rest of the year.

“We call it the best day of the year,” Booked co-owner Betsy Haberl (SPS ’18) said. “We’re not at all being silly about that. We love it a lot, and every year we try to do something even bigger and more ridiculous than before.”

This year, Booked went all out — for both the crawl and Independent Bookstore Day. In addition to the discount, the store offered tarot readings, live illustrations and a scavenger hunt. It even converted a puppet theater into a book matchmaking booth, Haberl said.  

Bookends & Beginnings sold exclusive merch and held an all-day happy hour at its mini bar.

“I love how it really brings the community together,” Bookends & Beginnings Events and Marketing Coordinator Molly Hart said. “It’s such a wonderful and supportive community that arranges the book crawl, and it’s just such an honor and a pleasure to be a part of that.”

Hart also emphasized that it was nice to get an “extra boost” of foot traffic during the slower months.

While some customers said the promised discount drew them to participate, the resounding motivator was a love for books.

“I read a lot,” said Lincoln Square resident Jacqueline Puschmann-Guth. “That’s my biggest hobby. I love going to bookstores. I love checking out new books.”

Puschmann-Guth added that she was particularly excited to try out Bookends & Beginnings, which she said she’d heard great things about. 

Throughout the day, the event organized forms of group transportation for customers, including buses and bike rides — but many crawlers, including Julie Larson, went at their own pace. 

Larson, who works in publishing, said she was only planning on visiting a few stores throughout the day, but still wanted to show her support. 

Amazon held its second annual discounted book sale from April 23 to April 28, in what some have labeled an attempt to overshadow the national celebration of independent bookstores.

“I had to come out and support when I learned that Amazon did their little sneaky tricks like they always do,” she said.

Larson wasn’t the only one to refer to the e-commerce giant. Morton Grove resident Alexandria Beauford said the company was attempting to “cut out” independent bookstores, which she didn’t want to see. 

Haberl hopes that the event demonstrated the value of independent bookstores, in contrast to convenient online retailers. She said independent bookstores were simply more “fun.” 

“We bought the store because we want it to be a community space,” Haberl said. “The purpose of it is not to make money, the purpose of it is to exist. We really do care about the people that come in.”

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