You can also find store information and maps on our mobile-friendly site.

Seattle Independent Bookstore Day is the local home of the national Independent Bookstore Day, a one-day celebration on the last Saturday of April, hosted by independent booksellers for our readers and customers. The 2026 Independent Bookstore Day takes place on April 25. This year, the participating Seattle-area booksellers are offering the Bookstore Day Passport Challenge, with ten days to complete the challenge. Please see below for details.

What is happening for Independent Bookstore Day 2026?

Seattle Independent Bookstore Day (SIBD) has come to mean a great deal to all of us working in the Seattle bookstore community, and we’re glad to say that the Seattle-area indie bookstores are once again celebrating Indie Bookstore Day with the popular Bookstore Day Passport Challenge this year. The challenge is for local book (and bookstore) lovers to visit all 33 participating Seattle-area independent bookstores, and, as in the past few years, they will have ten days to complete the challenge.

Independent Bookstore Day is on Saturday, April 25, and the challenge must be completed by Monday, May 4.

Book fanatics who complete the challenge will receive a Bookstore Day Champion Stamp Card, good for a one-time 25% discount at each participating store and valid until April 23, 2027.

We are also offering an intermediate reward: those who don’t complete the full challenge but get their passport stamped at at least five participating stores during the ten-day period will receive a single 25%-off coupon, good at any of the participating stores.

We are grateful for the support our bookstores receive. The Seattle area independent bookstore community continues to thrive because of you.

SIBD 2026, April 25 – May 4, FAQs

Is Indie Bookstore Day happening this year?

Yes, both nationally and in Seattle.

How do I qualify as an Indie Bookstore Day 2026 Champion?

Visit all 33 participating Seattle-area stores between April 25 and May 4, 2026, and turn in your passport with stamps from all the stores.

What’s the prize?

A Bookstore Day Champion Stamp Card, good for a one-time 25% discount at each of the participating stores. The card will be good through April 23, 2027 (the day before Independent Bookstore Day next year). *Discount exclusions apply. See individual stores for details.

Can I earn a prize if I don’t visit all the stores?

Yes, if you get your passport stamped at five or more stores during the ten-day period but don’t complete the full challenge, turn in your passport at the last store you visit and you’ll immediately receive a single-use 25% coupon good at any participating store.

Which bookstores are participating?

See the list of participating bookstores at the bottom of this page. There have been a few changes to the participating stores since last year’s challenge, so please note the current lineup. (We have four stores participating for the first time this year: two newly founded stores, Beguiled Books, in Pioneer Square, and Lovestruck in Seattle, in Wedgwood, as well as two long-established ones joining us: the Couth Buzzard, in Greenwood, and East West Books & Gifts, in Edmonds.) As in previous years, while Third Place Books has three locations, you only need to visit one of their stores to get your stamp. Also please note that not all participating bookstores are open for all ten days of the challenge. Full store hours for 2026 will be updated soon in the guide below.

How do I participate?

Pick up a passport in person at a participating bookstore, starting on Bookstore Day, April 25, 2026. Get your passport stamped at each store during the ten-day period, and turn it in at the last store you visit. No purchase is required to get your stamp at each store, though of course you are encouraged to shop. Online visits or purchases are not included: you must have your card stamped, in person, at each store.

When will I receive my discount card?

When you turn in your passport, you will choose your “home” store, where your Champion Discount Card will be held for you to pick up, starting on June 7.

How do I support Bookstore Day (and liven up my wardrobe)?

Order your Seattle Bookstore Day 2026 commemorative t-shirt or sweatshirt (designed, like our challenge passport, by Stephen Crowe from Third Place Books) via our Bonfire store. All t-shirt profits fund our costs for future Bookstore Days.

What is Independent Bookstore Day?

Independent Bookstore Day is a one-day national party that takes place at indie bookstores across the country on the last Saturday in April. Every store is unique and independent and hosts its own party. And in addition to author appearances, treats, scavenger hunts, kids events, contests, and the other fun stuff that various stores may be planning, many stores offer exclusive books and literary items that you can only get on that day. Not before. Not online. And only as long as supplies last.

What is Seattle Independent Bookstore Day?

When Independent Bookstore Day went national in 2015 (after its founding in 2014 by booksellers in Northern California was a rousing success), Seattle's indie bookstores collaborated to showcase what we do best: build human connections through physical books, in a daylong celebration of the work we do and the readers and customers who make it possible. We offered many of the same events and exclusive items as our colleagues across the country, but we also introduced the Passport Challenge, encouraging readers to get their passports stamped at as many participating stores as possible on Bookstore Day. Those who got their passports stamped at every participating store that day were crowned Grand Champions, with a crown, a party, and a 25% discount at all participating stores for the following year. Over the years, we have been stunned by the response: in our first year, we weren't sure if anyone would complete the full Passport Challenge, but we crowned 42 Grand Champions. In 2017, our third year, the number of Grand Champions, all of whom visited stores from Poulsbo to Kirkland to Queen Anne to Georgetown in a single day, exploded to 320, and in 2019 our total number of Champions increased to 636. We weren’t able to continue the in-person Passport Challenge under COVID restrictions in 2020 and 2021, but in 2022 we introduced the 10-day Passport Challenge, and we crowned 335 champions to celebrate the return of Bookstore Day, and were up to 414 champions in 2024.

Why are we celebrating independent bookstores?

Independent bookstores in the Pacific Northwest aren’t just brick and mortar storefronts. We’re part of a thriving literary scene made up of writers, readers, librarians, and publishers (which was declared by UNESCO in 2017 an official "City of Literature"). We’re local literary destinations for our communities and staffed by passionate, well-read booksellers. We’re entire universes of ideas that contain the possibility of real serendipity. We’re lively performance spaces and quiet places where “just that right book” can be discovered.

Bookstores are living, breathing organisms that continue to grow and develop each year. In a world of tweets, algorithms, and digital downloads customers find it reassuring to walk into a bookstore, smell the books, talk with a bookseller, and hold the books in their hands. This won’t change. We’re here to stay, and in fact we’re growing: our first Bookstore Challenge included only 19 stores, and now we’re up to 33, many of them having opened in the years since.

When does it happen?

Seattle Independent Bookstore Day takes place on the last Saturday in April.

How to connect with us

Plan your Passport Challenge

See individual bookstore hours below. Please note that some stores are not open for all ten days of the challenge.

Participating Stores

Ada's Technical Books

Founded in 2010, Ada’s Technical Books & Café is where a bookstore becomes a community. Located on Capitol Hill, Ada's is home to the kinds of books, gifts, workshops and events, that beckon to the geek (and the geek in all of us).

425 15th Ave. E, Seattle

www.adasbooks.com

(206) 322-1058

Hours: Everyday 8am-8pm

Instagram: @adason15th

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AdasOn15th

Arundel Books

Arundel Books was founded as a fine press publisher specializing in art and poetry; we began selling rare and out-of print books and now operate a retail bookstore in Pioneer Square, an affiliated Indie publishing company called Chatwin Books, and a book printing and binding operation including both digital printing and our own vintage letterpress printing press.

322 1st Ave. S, Seattle

www.arundelbooks.com

(206) 624-4442

Hours: Bookstore Day 9am-9pm, Sun-Thu 10am-8pm, Fri-Sat 10am-9pm, Mon May 5 10am-9pm

Instagram: @arundelbooks

Facebook: www.facebook.com/arundelbooks

Away with Words

A destination book and bath shop with curated gifts and pop culture items. We specialize in local authors and artisans, and make our own line of bookish lotions and candles.

18954 Front Street NE #100, Poulsbo

https://awaywithwordsbookshop.com

(360) 908-7469

Hours: Bookstore Day 9am-7pm, Sun. Apr. 27 10am-6pm, Mon-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat. May 3 10am-6pm, Sun May 4 10am-5pm

Instagram: @awaywithwordsbooks

Ballast Book Co.

Find lots of weird-girlie pop lit fic, horror, sci-fi, and fantasy recommendations and a jam-packed sticker selection. Check out our yearly new artist merch, too!

409 Pacific Ave., Ste. 202, Bremerton

www.ballastbookco.com

(360) 626-3430

Hours: Bookstore Day 8am-8pm, Sun-Thu 10am-7pm, Fri-Sat 10am-8

Instagram: @ballastbookco

Tiktok: @ballastbookcompany

NEW: Beguiled Books

Seattle's original romance bookstore. New, gently loved, vintage, and bookish goods.

109 1st Ave. S, Seattle

www.beguiledbooks.com

Hours: Fri-Sat 11am-8pm, Sun 11am-4pm, Tue-Thu 11am-6pm, Closed Mon

Instagram: @beguiledbooks

Tiktok: @beguiled.books

Book Larder

Book Larder is Seattle's only culinary bookstore since 2011! We carry a carefully selected collection of new and imported cookbooks to lovers of food and cooking in Seattle and beyond. We're also a spot to gather for author events, cooking classes, demonstrations, and more.

4252 Fremont Ave. N, Seattle

www.booklarder.com

(206) 397-4271

Hours: Everyday 10am-6pm

Instagram: @booklarder

Twitter: @booklarder

Facebook: www.facebook.com/booklarder

BookTree

New & gently used books; author signings, open mics, book clubs, gatherings, and more.

609 Market Street, Kirkland

www.booktreekirkland.com

(425) 202-7791

Hours: Bookstore Day 11am-7pm, Sun 12-5pm Mon-Wed, Fri-Sat 11:30pm-5:45pm, Mon May 4 11:30am-6pm, Closed Thur

Instagram: @booktreekirkland

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BookTreeBookstore

Brick & Mortar Books

Brick & Mortar Books is a family-owned bookstore in the heart of Redmond.

7430 164th Ave. NE, Suite B105, Redmond

www.brickandmortarbooks.com

(425) 869-0606

Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun 11am-7pm

Instagram: @brick_and_mortar_books

Facebook: www.facebook.com/brickandmortarbooks

Charlie’s Queer Books

Seattle's home for LGBTQ+ books in every genre.

465 N. 36th St., Seattle

charliesqueerbooks.com

Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun 11am-5pm

Instagram: @charliesqueerbooks

TikTok: @charliesqueerbooks

NEW: The Couth Buzzard

A new and used bookstore focusing on offbeat finds, as well as a cafe, music venue, and event space. Grab a calendar while you're here, there's Never Nothing Happening at the Couth!

8310 Greenwood Ave. N, Seattle

couthbuzzard.com

(206) 436-2960

Hours: Sat-Sun 9am-9pm, Mon, Wed-Fri 10am-9pm, Closed Tue

Instagram: @couthbuzzardbooks

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CouthBuzzardBooks

Eagle Harbor Book Co.

Eagle Harbor Books is a full service, locally-owned, and proudly independent bookstore located on Bainbridge Island, home to a large community of authors and discriminating readers. A short ferry ride from Seattle, we offer an expansive selection of fine books across most every genre, unique gifts you won't find anywhere else and, and a full schedule of author readings and events.

157 Winslow Way E, Bainbridge Island

www.eagleharborbooks.com

(206) 842-5332, (360) 692-2375

Hours: Bookstore Day 7am-7pm, every other day 10am-6pm

Instagram: @eagleharborbooks

NEW: East West Books & Gifts

For over 30 years, East West Books & Gifts has been a beloved spiritual bookstore serving the Seattle community. Now located in downtown Edmonds, we warmly invite you to enjoy the town’s charm and explore our store.

110 3rd Ave N STE 102, Edmonds

eastwestseattle.org

(206) 523-3726

Hours: Bookstore Day 10am-6pm, Sun 12-5pm, Tue-Sat 11am-6pm, Closed Mon

Instagram: @eastwestbooksandgifts

Facebook: www.facebook.com/eastwestseattle

Edmonds Bookshop

Located in thriving downtown Edmonds, we have books for readers of all ages and interests. We also offer a fun selection of gift items and a large, unique selection of cards. We are always happy to recommend books based on your reading preferences.

111 Fifth Avenue South, Edmonds

www.edmondsbookshop.com

(425) 775-2789

Hours: Bookstore Day 10am-7pm, Sun Apr 26 11am-5pm, Mon-Wed 10am-6pm, Thu 10am-8pm, Fri-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12-5pm

Instagram: @edmondsbookshop

Facebook: www.facebook.com/EdmondsBookshop

Elliott Bay Book Company

The Elliott Bay Book Company is a full service bookstore located in the heart of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. We offer one of the region's best selection of new books, with over 150,000 titles, and present an unparalleled schedule of author readings and events throughout the year.

1521 10th Ave., Seattle

www.elliottbaybook.com

(206) 624-6600

Hours: Everyday 9am-10pm

Instagram: @elliottbaybookco

Twitter: @ElliottBayBooks

Facebook: www.facebook.com/elliottbaybookcompany

Fantagraphics Bookstore

Graphic novels, comix, and badass books in the heart of the colorful Georgetown arts community only minutes south of downtown Seattle.

1201 S Vale St., Seattle

fantagraphics.com/flog/bookstore

(206) 557-4910

Hours: Mon-Sat 11:30am-8pm, Sun 11:30am-5pm

Instagram: @fantagraphicsbookstore

Facebook: www.facebook.com/fantagraphicsbookstore

Island Books

Locally owned independent bookstore proudly serving Mercer Island, Seattle, and the Eastside for 53 years. Books, gifts, an award-winning children's section, and free parking!

3014 78th Ave. SE, Mercer Island

www.islandbooks.com

(206) 232-6920

Hours: Bookstore Day 8am-6:30pm, Sun Apr 26 9am-5pm, Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 10am-5pm

Instagram: @island.books

Twitter: @islandbooks

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mercerislandbooks

Left Bank Books Collective

Left Bank Books is a collectively run anarchist bookstore specializing in anti-authoritarian, independent, and radical literature since 1973.

92 Pike St., Seattle

www.leftbankbooks.com

(206) 622-0195

Hours: Everyday 12-5pm, Closed on May Day, Fri May 1

Instagram: @leftbankbookscollective

Liberty Bay Books

An indie bookstore curated for the Pacific Northwest. Kitsap's oldest bookstore.

18881 D Front Street NE, Poulsbo

www.libertybaybooks.com

(360) 779-5909

Hours: Bookstore day: 8am-7pm, Everyday 10am-5pm

Instagram: @libertybaybooks

Twitter: @libertybaybooks

Facebook: www.facebook.com/libertybaybooks

NEW: Lovestruck in Seattle

A romance only bookstore and gift shop that has a love story for every heart. We focus on LGBTQIA+, Contemporary, Fantasy, Historical, local PNW authors, and so much more!

8507 35th Ave. NE, Seattle

lovestruckinseattle.com

Hours: Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-5pm, Tue-Fri 11am-6pm, Closed Mon

Instagram: @lovestruckinseattle

Madison Books

Madison Books is the neighborhood bookstore for Madison Park and its surrounding communities.

4118 E. Madison St., Seattle

www.madisonbks.com

(206) 325-3160

Hours: Everyday 10am-6pm

Instagram: @madisonbkstagram

Magnolia’s Bookstore

General interest neighborhood book store with something for everyone. Narrow store front, but deep!

3206 W. McGraw St., Seattle

www.magnoliasbookstore.com

(206) 283-1062

Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 12-5pm

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Magnolias-Bookstore-534506929900550

Nook & Cranny Books

At Nook & Cranny we're all about reading without borders. We highlight translated and world literature, and encourage browsing by curiosity, not genre.

5637 University Way NE, Seattle

nookandcrannybooks.com

(425) 780-6027

Hours: Bookstore Day 9am-8pm, Sun Apr 27 9am-6, Tue-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat-Sun 10-6pm, Closed Mon

Instagram: @nookandcrannyseattle

Facebook: www.facebook.com/NookAndCrannyBooks

Open Books: A Poem Emporium

A bookstore devoted to poetry.

108 Cherry St., Seattle

openpoetrybooks.com

(206) 633-0811

Hours: Wed-Sat 12-5pm, Sun 12-4pm, Closed Mon-Tue

Instagram: @openpoetrybooks

Twitter: @openpoetrybooks

Facebook: www.facebook.com/OpenPoetryBooks

Page 2 Books

With a love of community building and all things literature, Page 2 Books strives to create a fun and comfortable environment to read, buy, and talk about books. We sell new and used books for kids and adults as well as cards, puzzles, journals, jewelry, art by local artists, and more!

560 SW 152nd St., Burien

page2books.com

(206) 248-7248

Hours: Bookstore Day 10am-7pm, Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm

Instagram: @Page2Books

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Page2Books

Paper Boat Booksellers

Located in the heart of West Seattle, where community meets well-curated shelves and the friendliest booksellers in town!

4522 California Ave. SW, Seattle

www.paperboatbooksellers.com

(206) 743-8283

Hours: Fri-Sat 10am-8pm, Tue-Thu 10am-7pm, Sun 11am-5pm, Closed Mon

Instagram: @paperboatbooksellers

Facebook: www.facebook.com/paperboatbooksellers

Phinney Books

A neighborhood bookstore for Phinney Ridge and Greenwood in north Seattle.

7405 Greenwood Ave. N, Seattle

www.phinneybooks.com

(206) 297-2665

Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 12-5pm

Instagram: @phinneybooks

Queen Anne Book Company

Quintessential neighborhood bookstore, with a robust children's book section and staff recommendations for all readers!

1811 Queen Anne Ave. N, Seattle

www.qabookco.com

(206) 284-2427

Hours: Bookstore Day 8am-8pm, Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun 10am-5pm

Instagram: @queen.anne.book.company

Ridgecrest Books

New and used neighborhood bookstore in the Ridgecrest neighborhood of Shoreline

512 NE 165th St., Shoreline

https://ridgecrestbookstore.com

(206) 644-7105

Hours: Tue-Sun 11am-7pm, Mon 11am-5pm

Instagram: @ridgecrestbooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551410211634

Saltwater Bookshop

Women-owned with a little bit of everything but a focus on local interest, Indigenous Peoples, and a large children's room. We're attached to Borrowed Kitchen Bakery—get a treat and peruse the stacks.

10978 NE State Hwy 104 Ste. 109, Kingston

https://www.saltwaterbookshop.com

(360) 638-6136

Hours: Bookstore Day 8am-6pm, Sun Apr 26 9am-4pm, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat May 2 8am-5pm, Sun May 3 10am-3pm

Instagram: @saltwaterbookshop

Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089977286809

Secret Garden Books

Located in downtown Ballard on Market St, we are a full-service bookstore celebrating our 49th year in business!

2214 NW Market St., Seattle

www.secretgardenbooks.com

(206) 789-5006

Hours: Sat 10am-6pm, Mon-Fri 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-5pm

Instagram: @secretgardenbks

Twitter: @SecretGardenBks

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Secret-Garden-Books-294448783913568

Third Place Books

Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Third Place Books opened a store in the Ravenna neighborhood of Seattle in 2002, and another in the Seward Park neighborhood in 2016. Third Place Books is a general interest bookstore and hosts over 300 events a year.