Rockford Indie Bookstore Crawl returns Feb. 24
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — In its second year, the Rockford Indie Bookstore Crawl is growing beyond the bookshelves to a celebration of literature at several spots around the city.
The crawl started a year ago as a collaboration between the city’s five independent bookstores — The Book Stall, Drewelow’s House of Books, Katie’s Cup, Maze Books and Toad Hall Books and Records — to draw people out for an event during a slower time of year when weather typically keeps people inside.
This year a few additional businesses are getting involved with drink specials at nearby restaurants and merchandise at local retailers.
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The inaugural event last year led to record book sales at all five shops, according to Dave Pedersen, the owner of Maze Books, and Nick Naruz, who owns Toad Hall with his family.
“We were not prepared for the number of people that showed up,” Pedersen said. “It felt like a scavenger hunt, because you saw whole families that were actually excited.
“The community responded above and beyond anything I’ve ever seen in my life. It wasn’t even about selling books; it was about having something to do that is not the same.”
Return of the crawl
The Indie Bookstore Crawl is back this year on Saturday, Feb. 24.
There will once again be specials, discounts and giveaways at each of the five stores. For example, Maze and Toad Hall are offering 30% off used books and 20% off new titles.
This year there are also some surrounding businesses getting into the literary spirit.
Rockford Art Deli, 402 E. State St., created T-shirts with the slogan “support your local bookstore.” SRM Prints, 406 E. State St., is making bookmarks and planning a pop-up event. Patrick Alberto of 27 Aluna, 124 N. Main St., is creating a literary inspired menu item and Ernie’s Midtown Pub, 1025 Fifth Ave., is creating a cocktail in honor of all five bookstores. Taco Libre, 501 E. State St., is planning on making its version of a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, a drink from Douglas Adams’ “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” and fizzing lifting drinks inspired by Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
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“It’s turning into something bigger than I ever imagined it,” Naruz said. “Not only has it become an event for our stores, but it has now fueled that community that we’ve been trying to grow.”
In the future, Pedersen sees the potential for the crawl to be held in conjunction with a literary celebration around the city with readings of poetry and prose and more groups or businesses joining in.
“You get the ball rolling and you never know where it’s going to go,” Naruz said.
The poster for this year’s crawl was once again designed by Joe Tallman, a Rockford artist and illustrator who has worked with bands, sports teams, major brands and others to create original artwork for their events or businesses. The science fiction-inspired poster was created from the concept that it was the “return of the book crawl,” Pedersen said.
There will be 70 prints of it available for sale and 50 T-shirts. Naruz said that Tallman’s work has been a part of the crawl’s success.
“The designs have been so cool, it has attracted people to the event,” he said.
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The bookstore crawl also gave local shop owners a way to support each other as partners, rather than rivals.
It creates another reason for people to shop local, and it creates the type of experience small booksellers need to compete with giant online retailers.
The benefit for shoppers is two-fold: They can score deals on books for low prices and they can be assured that their money is staying in the community, Pedersen said.
“I make a conscious effort to keep this in the community because we can all share this,” he said.
Rockford Indie Bookstore Crawl | If You Go
When: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24
Where:
- The Book Stall, 1032 Crosby St., Rockford
- Drewelow’s House of Books, 3925 E. State St., suite 100, Rockford
- Katie’s Cup, 502 Seventh St., Rockford
- Maze Books, 406 E. State St., Rockford
- Toad Hall, 2106 Broadway
Prizes: Those who visit all five stores with their punch card will have a chance to win a prize worth $25 at each of the five stores, a total value of $125 in merchandise.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas