Sat 11/26
For some folks, holiday shopping is nothing more than just crossing a name off a list with the first gift card in sight. However, there are those shoppers looking for that special present. It’s the latter that Loganberry Books hopes to attract with its annual Indies First affair taking place Sat 11/26 at the Cleveland venue.
Sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, Indies First intentionally falls on Small Business Saturday on the weekend after Thanksgiving. The affair highlights local authors, who will be present hourly at Loganberry Books. Beginning at 11am, the schedule includes Tricia Springstubb (Every Single Second), Nikki Delamotte (100 Things to Do in Cleveland Before You Die), D. M. Pulley (The Buried Book), Laura Wimbels (Faces of Cleveland), Joanna Connors (I Will Find You) and Lauren Pacini (Preserving the Shaker Parklands).
CoolCleveland talked to Loganberry Books owner Harriett Logan about the festivities.
First off, what exactly is Indies First?
This is an annual event that takes place nationwide with independent booksellers celebrating the day, season, authors and kind of calling attention to themselves as places to buy books and as community strongholds. One of the foci of Indies First is to bring authors to their local independent bookstores not just as artists and authors to sign their own work but to contribute to a day of bookselling. They support their local indie as an interesting place for the community but also a viable asset for the writer who lives in that community. So we’ll have five authors here, one per hour. They will be selling their own books but they will be available to chat with customers and let them know what kind of books they like to read. It’s interesting, what better question to ask an author than what are you reading?
What kind of impact does the event have on your business?
As an independent small retailer, I continually need to call attention to myself and remind people we are here. That’s just part of the game but to do so with authors supporting that mission and other bookstores supporting that mission like we do for Independent Bookstore Day in April.
Considering the Larchmere Holiday Stroll is taking place simultaneously, it must be a pretty busy and fantastic experience.
It’s the busiest day of the year for me, hands down, no question. We have giveaways with cider and cookies all day long. Also, on Friday there’s free music (guitarist Brian Henke) and on Sunday we have kids’ activities (author Dave Cockley). It’s the biggest holiday shopping time of the year. And what better way to celebrate the holidays, your home, your family and your community then by celebrating the authors and the bookstore that live in your community. It’s really easy to make a click online and order a book. That doesn’t support your community.
How would you characterize Cleveland’s literary scene?
Cleveland has a rich literary community. There are some nationally known authors who make their home here. We have Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists who live here. We have new organizations like Lit Cleveland that bring together amateur writers and well-known authors with workshops that take place across the city. The literary scene is very strong in Cleveland.
Back to Indies First, it seems to have the same sensibility as Record Store Day.
Indies First is a little different because of the author participation. So it would be like if Van Halen were at a record store saying, “Hey, have you listened to this?”
Just to confirm, David Lee Roth won’t be at your store for Indies First?
No, he’s not local and I don’t carry his book. [laughs] We do have Bruce Springsteen’s new book. In fact, he should go to his indie bookstore in New Jersey.
Perhaps Michael Stanley needs to write a book?
Indeed he does and I’d be happy to host him.