In a world of one-click purchases and algorithm-driven recommendations, independent bookstores remain vibrant sanctuaries of community, discovery, and human connection. However, to thrive, these local literary havens require more than just book sales—they need voices, volunteers, visibility, and a great deal of love. Whether it’s tagging your favorite shop on Instagram, joining a monthly book club, or donating your gently used paperbacks, every small action adds up to make a big impact in the book community. Read on to discover how you can help your favorite local bookstores.
Spread Awareness
“The best way to support us is to tell others about us,” Aubrey Able, owner of Curious Squirrel Bookshop, said.
Tell your friend about the local independent bookstores that you like, encourage people to shop local instead of using book conglomerates like Amazon, Walmart, or Barnes and Noble, shout them out on social media, and leave a positive google review. If you’re feeling really bold, ask your best bookish friend out on a girls’ day adventure: grab a coffee and find a new favorite bookstore. All of these things help bring awareness to their existence and can help drive more customers to the stores.
“Other than [buying books], sharing things on social media is a great way [to support local bookstores],” Sara Gelston Summers, owner of Golden Hour Books, said. “As small as that seems, it does make a difference.”
If you haven’t already, liking and following your favorite local bookstores on social media is one of the easiest ways to show support and bring more attention to their stores. Sharing their posts about your favorite new releases or upcoming events with friends and family can bring awareness to a bookstore, which is the most important step to getting customers in the door.
Stay in the Know: Sign Up for Memberships or Newsletters
While every bookstore might not have a membership program or newsletter, a lot of them will have some way for you to stay in the know about what is happening at the bookstore, and maybe even get rewards for signing up.
For example, Indy Reads’ membership program is called Literacy League, and it costs a minimum of $5 a month. Every month you donate, you get a free used book up to a value of $10 from the bookstore. When you make a purchase at Indy Reads, that money goes back to supporting their adult student learners and the free educational classes they have.
“All of the community support is going back to our classes and helps us increase the number of adult learners we’re able to help every single year,” Indy Reads Manager Casey Culp said.
Another way to stay in the know is by signing up for newsletters. While it might just sound like a marketing tactic, newsletters also allow bookstores to evaluate how people are engaging with their store online. Culp said their newsletter is a great way to find out what events are upcoming, what Indy Reads is planning to do next, and how Indy Reads is supporting its students.
“By following us on social media or subscribing to our newsletter, it ensures you’re always in the know about what bookstores are offering, what they need and how you can help,” Culp said. “Specifically, our newsletters give you a lot of insight on how your money and your donations, and your spending power go directly to support our students. You get to learn about their lives, how they got to Indy Reads, and how Indy Reads is supporting them and helping them advance their literacy.”
Volunteer or Donate
Another way you can help support independent bookstores is by volunteering and donating, especially at used bookstores, like Indy Reads. Organizations like Indy Reads rely on donations to stay afloat. On the first Friday of every month, Indy Reads opens its doors to gently used book donations. They do not accept CDs, DVDs, or magazines; however, patrons are always welcome to donate banned books because they are in high demand.
“Indy Reads offers a bunch of ways to volunteer, as well as other local bookstores,” Culp said. “If they are a used bookstore, donating your used books always helps. Indy Reads is always looking for gently used books.”
Indy Reads is also accepting donations of paper bags for customers to use in the store, as well as crochet supplies like yarn and hooks that will be used for their upcoming crochet club, which will meet on Aug. 17.
Attend Community Events
Speaking of clubs… going to community events is another great way to support your favorite local bookstores and dive into the social side of the book community. Gelston Summers said following your favorite independent bookstores on social media can help you stay up to date with their different events and activities.
“Coming to events is really a great way of supporting a bookstore,” Gelston Summers said. “Anytime we get people in the store, it shows that people are on board with what we’re doing, and the more people, the more faces we have in the store. It encourages others to be there too.”
Indy’s independent bookstores host a variety of events every month, from book clubs to craft nights and meet and greets with authors. Golden Hour Books has seven monthly book clubs and two other seasonal book clubs that meet periodically throughout the year. Indy Reads also has a variety of free monthly events, including open mic nights, writing workshops, and book clubs.
“We do anything from author events, which we host fairly often, to wine tastings to parties with DJs,” Geltson Summers said. “We kind of try to run the gamut of things that will appeal to our community, but also things that we’re really excited about hosting. So there’s a wide range of events to attend.”
There are also a variety of occasional events that bookstores will host throughout the year to celebrate. Things like Valentine’s Day, The Indy Indie Book Crawl, Independent Bookstore Day, and the Christmas season are often jam-packed with events that you can attend.
Buy Store Merchandise
However, if you want to directly support local bookstores and have some extra cash to spend, buying bookstore merchandise can be one of the best ways to support your local bookstore because it not only supports them financially, but you become a representative of the store when you wear (or otherwise use) bookstore merchandise like clothing, hats, book covers, stickers and more.
“If you don’t want to buy books, buying merch is a really important way to help advertise the store,” Gelston Summers said. “Carrying a tote bag around, having a T-shirt, [wearing] a hat, that kind of stuff reminds people of our store. All these little things kind of add up to helping to create hype and get people in the store.”
Not only does this help remind people that these stores exist, but it can also help increase awareness of stores that some people might not have known about.
Keep an Open Mind
Last but not least, when you are shopping for books, keep an open mind.
“I think that coming to a bookstore without an expectation of what you’re going to walk away with is a really important thing,” Gelston Summers said. “Everybody comes in thinking ‘I might be after this new release’ or ‘I want to see if they have that’. But I think being open to the chance of coming across a book that you were not expecting, it’s always a pretty joyful experience when people walk away with [a book you weren’t expecting.]”
Independent bookstores do more than sell stories—they create them, nurture them, and build communities around them. Whether you’re showing up at an open mic night, dropping off gently used paperbacks, or simply sporting a bookstore tote on your next coffee run, your support matters. So the next time you’re wondering how to make a difference, remember: it’s not just about what you buy—it’s about how you show up. And every little gesture helps keep the pages turning for everyone.
Elle Rotter is an intern and contributing writer at Indy Maven who loves to cover all things books. Elle is currently a student at Butler University studying journalism and strategic communications. She is also a freelance writer and photographer. You may also see her frequently covering events happening throughout Indianapolis.
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