Denver Bookstores Celebrate Small Business Saturday

Of all the local businesses that Colorado residents might patronize on Small Business Saturday, bookstores are among the most important. After all, reading is fundamental. So if bookstores serve an important civic function, then independent bookstores double down on that good karma. And you can, too, by stopping into one of the following Colorado institutions on Saturday, November 30, and enjoying all the festivities and treats and knowledge and insight and inspiration made of paper and ink.

Tattered Cover
2526 East Colfax Avenue
1628 16th Street Mall
6301 South Santa Fe, Littleton
The Tattered Cover is dividing up the celebration between its three main locations (not including the Union Station and airport stores), so Denverites from all around town have a chance to win some great lit-loving prizes, including a Norse Mythology poster signed by Neil Gaiman (Colfax), Chuck Palahniuk original stickers (Historic LoDo) and a Marie Lu prize pack that includes a copy of Rebel and some original art (Aspen Grove). On top of that, you can enter a raffle to win a Tattered Cover gift card of up to $500.

Boulder Book Store
1107 Pearl Street, Boulder
It’s Indies First day at Boulder Book Store, where local authors will lend a hand and sign some books. Writers scheduled to appear include Kayann Short, Peter Griffiths, Gail Storey, John Gierach, Sara Davidson, Erin Blakemore, Kita Murdock, Joel Warner and Laura DeLuca.

Mutiny Information Cafe
2 South Broadway
How does a super-awesome book, comic, vinyl and more store like Mutiny Information Cafe celebrate Small Business Saturday? With a Star Wars Trivia contest, of course. Starting at 2 p.m., an eight-round trivia challenge will test your knowledge of The Force and all things long ago and in a galaxy far, far away. Enjoy cool prizes, free Star Wars stuff for everyone, and great sales on all the comic-book-related merch in the store.

Old Firehouse Books
232 Walnut Street, Fort Collins
Up in Fort Collins, Old Firehouse Books lights it up with its biggest sale of the year in honor of both “Plaid Friday” (an alternative to Black Friday) and Small Business Saturday. Tons of great books and other items will be on sale for anywhere from 15 to 30 percent off…and there are even freebies with your purchase.

Time Warp Comics
3105 28th Street, Boulder
Forget Black Friday. Time Warp Comics has been doing Small Business Saturday from the beginning, embracing the support of friendly neighborhood comics shops and other locally owned stores by offering big discounts on books, action figures, games and assorted awesomeness: 15 percent off silver and bronze age books, 30 percent off almost everything else storewide.

The Bookies Bookstore
4315 East Mississippi Avenue
The Bookies brings in a small army of authors dropping in the store throughout the day to roam the store, talk with fans and offer up their own suggestions for great reads. On the schedule are literary notables including John Fielder, Steve Walsh, Stan Yan, Jean Reidy, Craig Knippenberg, Laura Pedrew, Lauren Kerstein, Graeme Davis, Caryn Hartman and Ted Intorcio.

BookBar
4280 Tennyson Street
As one of Denver’s favorite local literary haunts, BookBar is recognizing local authors on Small Business Saturday with 20 percent off any book with a “Local Author” sticker. And if that’s not enough (and local authors hope it would be), a glass of Moscato is $3.50 and petit fours are $1 each. Bite-sized confections, wine and local writers: That’s a good time on any Saturday.

What are your favorite bookstores in town? Let us know at [email protected].