This weekend: New Jersey Bookstore Crawl
Visit 50 of our state's independent bookstores this weekend & enter to win prizes!
This weekend is an event I’ve been working on all year, alongside my friend Kristen of Hello Art + Design and Rutgers University Press: the New Jersey Bookstore Crawl!
I first wanted to organize a statewide bookstore crawl after hearing about the Philly Bookstore Crawl a few years ago. I later went down a big research rabbit hole where I looked at a bunch of bookstore crawls from all over the country and how they were organized. I thought something like this would be fun in New Jersey because even though we’re not a city, we’re small enough that it’s easy to plan a day trip and hit up a bunch of stores, or to stay within a fairly small radius of your home and visit a couple of stores.
Whenever I get an idea for something I think would be fun, it nags at me until I think, okay, fine, I’ll do it myself, then. In January, I talked to Kristen over diner fries about doing the branding for such an event. I’ve known Kristen since middle school, and I knew she would knock the branding out of the park because she’s a designer and a reader, and one of the co-organizers for Silent Book Club Monmouth County!
Rutgers University Press came on next, generously offering to place some ads, pay for the printing of promotional postcards, print and mail crawl guides to bookstores, and donate books for prizes.
Then I posted on a new dedicated Instagram account for the crawl, and things just…exploded. Over 1,000 people followed it in the first four days of the account existing, all through word of mouth. It’s closer to 5,000 than 4,000 now, and I only just made the account at the end of March. I’ve done a lot of things in my life that have gained some level of traction, but nothing I’ve done has received this kind of immediate response. If I’m being perfectly honest, it has been overwhelming!
As a person who has published a book and who is a full time librarian, I hear a lot of weird comments about the state of literacy. A popular thing people say to my face all the time is “people don’t read anymore.” No one is ever asking my opinion on this; it’s always said to me as if it is a fact. And I find it baffling 100% of the time.
I think the bookstore crawl has hit on some things about the state of literacy and community and how we shop. I’m excited to see what happens this weekend and to hear reports back from the participating stores. You can follow along on Instagram, and if you go to any stores, please take so many photos and tag me so I can share!
Last night, I announced the prizes that crawlers can win, and they’re all so good. See them in this post, and scroll down for a list with links!
I only have parts of my weekend planned out, but I do know that I will be at my friend John’s coffee trailer HQ location in Belleville, right off the parkway at exit 150, from 7:00-10:00 on Sunday morning. I’ll hand out crawl guides to anyone who needs one, I’m bringing the sticker machine with the last of the book-themed designs, and there will be a few prizes I’ll give away that day in person. Come say hi and grab a coffee from John before you start your crawl on Sunday!
Thank you to our generous prize donors! Here’s what you can enter to win:
A Book Barn tote filled with signed copies of 8 books, donated by Book Barn.
A prize pack containing sweatshirts, a hat, socks, and four tickets to their 6/14 show in NYC, donated by the Celebrity Memoir Book Club Podcast.
A tote bag, $25 gift card, and bookstore passport from The Collective Bookstore, plus four books from Rutgers Press.
A Jersey Collective prize pack, including a signed copy of New Jersey Fan Club, our New Jersey Go Fish! card game, 15 stickers, and one of each of *our brand new magnets* (more on these coming after the crawl weekend!)
A $100 gift card from Thunder Road Books, three books about the shore from RUP, a mug from The Book House, and our new shore magnet.
Seven bookmarks from Nina Tsur, plus seven books from RUP.
Seven more book marks from Nina Tsur with seven RUP books.
A sweatshirt and tote bag from Broad Street Books, three audiobooks from Libro.fm, two books from RUP, and two signed books by Patrick Lombardi.
A pillow and blanket donated by Cloud9 Design, a case of snacks from Like Air, three books donated by the Montclair Book Center, a bag of Cozz Coffee, and a pair of socks.
A private bird walk for two on Sandy Hook led by Beachy Birder Adventures, three books from RUP, a mug from Alex Flannery, and a signed copy of a book by Kristyn Gentile.
A $25 gift card from Gingerbread Bookshop, five books from RUP, two bookmarks from Mud Bowl Pottery, and a signed copy of a book by Dan Misdea.
A $25 gift card from Cloak and Dagger, a mug from Mud Bowl Pottery, a set of four zines by Alex Flannery, three audiobooks from Libro.fm, a shirt from Patrick Lombardi.
A $100 gift card for writing classes from Project Write Now, eight books from RUP.
A $20 gift card from Belvidere Books and a bookmark, five books from RUP, a tote bag, and a set of 3 signed books by Alicia Cook.
A $100 voucher from Clong Cooks good for 60 mini brownies or cookies for pickup in Newark, eight books from RUP.
Five books from RUP, a signed book by Patrick Lombardi, a bag of Cozz Coffee, a case of Like Air, and three audiobooks from Libro.fm.
A $20 gift card from River Road Books, a mug from Mud Bowl Pottery, three audiobooks from Libro.fm, a bag of Cozz Coffee, a pencil case, and four books from RUP.
In person prizes available at the Coffee & Crawl Guides event on Sunday:
A $25 gift card for Iris (which is closing in late June/early July, so if you win it, you can go right to Montclair and spend it!)
A shirt from Patrick Lombardi
Three audiobooks from Libro.fm
An etched drinking glass that I made that is cute but I could not for the life of me take a good photo of
Want to join us?
Download and print a copy of the crawl guide, use the map on our website to plan your day, and go wherever you’d like! Share photos on social media and be sure to tag @njbookstorecrawl.
About to leave my apartment and try to hit up 6 book stores in Monmouth County today, can’t wait!