Book Crawl bring communities, store owners together to celebrates Independent Bookstore Day

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Saturday is Independent Bookstore Day, a nationwide celebration honoring locally owned bookstores and the communities that support them.

Across the Triangle, several independent shops are marking the occasion with new milestones, author events and a weekend-long book crawl. In downtown Fayetteville, Bound & Vine is celebrating just five months after opening its doors.

Bound & Vine sells new books across multiple genres and pairs its bookstore with a wine bar, giving customers a place to browse, socialize and unwind.

"We sell new books, general interest, young adult and up. I would do a ton of fiction and nonfiction. And we also have a wine bar. So you're welcome to browse with the beverage come convene, hang out with friends," the owner said.

Owner Kelly Artis said the idea for the store grew out of her love of reading and her family's roots in Fayetteville. She said opening the shop was a way to invest in the community that had become home.

"We like to think of it as a respite so we encourage people to come in when they need an escape. So our book Tenders, what we call our booksellers who also pour wine, can help everyone who walks through our doors, explore something new, feel empowered by something or simply just escape," Artis said.

That sense of connection, she said, is part of what sets independent bookstores apart. "My favorite reaction when someone walks into the door is, Oh, it's just the gas. But there's a moment, there's a transition that happens when you cross the threshold. The one of the common comments we get are, I can't believe this is in Fayetteville, and I love to challenge that. Like, why not, you know, why don't we deserve something like this?" Artis said.

Independent bookstores across the country are seeing new momentum. According to the American Booksellers Association, 422 new independent bookshops opened in 2025, a 31 percent increase from 2024.

Artis said customers at Bound & Vine are already showing why spaces like the store matter. "And so far the response has been incredible. We've had travelers from I mean, as far away as Seattle, Washington, who have visited our bookstore, being right on 95. We have a ton of people who are stopping in from, you know, Eastern Seaboard Drive, and they're coming in to take a little break and pick up a read to continue reading on their trip," she said.

Bound & Vine uses Independent Bookstore Day as a way to invite new families to connect both with their community and with books. "There's no other way to like fully immerse yourself and experience the world in our short little lives. Times so what better way than to jump into someone else's shoes or someone else's brain or some expert that's that dedicated their lives to exploring some topic of interest that you can expose yourself to easily in a 250 page book? It's a great way to uncover new passions and new causes to to to pour yourself into," Artis said.

Other Triangle bookstores are also marking major moments this weekend. In Raleigh, Bright Side Books & Wine has been operating out of a pop-up location and is opening its permanent store Saturday on West Cabarrus Street, hosting multiple authors throughout the day. In Durham, Daughters Coffee and Books recently celebrated its one-year anniversary.

The woman-owned and operated shop offers a space for parents to bring their children while enjoying coffee or reading a book. The store also hosts local authors and features products from surrounding local businesses.

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Bound & Vine is also participating in this weekend's RDU Book Crawl, which includes independent bookstores across the Triangle. Organizers are encouraging people to visit as many participating shops as they can.