Category Archives: Birmingham

Alabama, Birmingham, Bookstores, Events

Indie Bookstore Day – Birmingham, AL Tour

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Tomorrow is Independent Bookstore Day! It’s always such a fun day to get out and celebrate the need for indie bookshops in our communities. The goal is simple – just get out, if you can. Here’s a handy map where you can type in your zip code to see if any of the 2000+ participating shops are near you. (If you don’t have an independent bookshop around you, do check out Bookshop.org. The site is very well done, supports indie shops and is helpful for those living in book deserts.)

Enjoyer Books at Cala Coffee – Independent Bookstore Day 2025

This week I was asked, “Which shops are worth visiting?” This is a tough question to answer as I want to simply say “All of them?”. But that’s not as helpful as I want, so I am offering up a little strategic plan of attack for this Saturday (the rain will be off and on) with an itinerary that would put a few miles on your car, but allow you to visit some really fun shops around town. Maybe next year we can all get together and do a bookstore crawl or something!? (I’m a tad jealous of all these bookstore crawl events.) So just think about it, fellow Birminghamsters… 

Anyway, for all you folks in and around Birmingham, AL, here is what your Saturday could look like tomorrow:

That would have you start out at The Summit, then down 280 to downtown, then Homewood and back to 5th Ave. Pretty easy driving. What changes would you make? There are a few more shops around town. Last year, for Independent Bookstore Day, we closed out the day in Trussville at Bookmarked Paperie so we could get the pimento cheese, chips, and beer at Ferus.

Bookmarked – 2025
Ferus Pimento Cheese – 2025

For those a little farther out, here is a list of all the bookshops that have officially said they are participating around Alabama:

  1. Greene Books – Athens, AL
  2. The Mossy Lantern – Atmore, AL
  3. Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers – Auburn, AL
  4. Burdock Book Collective – Birmingham, AL
  5. Thank You Books – Birmingham, AL
  6. Court Street Books – Florence, AL
  7. Dorothy June Booksellers – Foley, AL
  8. BOOKCLUB – Fort Payne, AL
  9. The Bookwyrm – Huntsville, AL
  10. Blushing Books – Huntsville, AL
  11. The Snail on the Wall – Huntsville, AL
  12. Blue Apple Bookstore and More – Madison, AL
  13. All In Books – Madison, AL
  14. Storylight LLC – Mobile, AL
  15. The Haunted Book Shop – Mobile, AL
  16. The NewSouth Bookstore – Montgomery, AL
  17. Hyperbole Books – Montgomery, AL
  18. The Second Story – Pratville, AL
  19. Ernest & Hadley Booksellers – Tuscaloosa, AL
  20. Sweet Home Books – Wetumpka, AL

There are some good ones on there.

Than You Books on Indie Bookstore Day 2025

Wherever you are, I hope you have a wonderful weekend and have a good book nearby.

Birmingham, Book Talk, Bookstores, On the Web

Kathleen Schmidt Interview with Books-A-Million CEO Terry Finley

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Here’s an interview with the CEO of Birmingham/Homewood-based bookstore chain Books-A-Million, Terry Finley. Finley (Instagram) has been in bookselling for 50 years. Schmidt’s Publishing Confidential newsletter is book and publishing focused and always an interesting read.

BAM is an interesting company due to its larger size and regional approach to operations. They have stores in 32 states and have recently opened a large and well laid out shop in Bloomington, MN. The Twin Cities are an amazingly bookish part of the country and I’m excited to see how this new store shapes up.

The front of BAM in Bloomington, MN

Here are a few more photos I took, inside their new store, on a recent visit this year. The aisle layout was fun and added to the book discovery journey. There are so many books there!

A couple of the interview questions I found really interesting shine a spotlight on how Books-A-Million approaches books vs. entertainment vs. lifestyle items, as well as how Dungeon Crawler Carl (published in August 2024; these covers are great fun!) became their 2025 Book of the Year. I’m also really curious about the in-store AI Search tools as I have not seen that in action yet. I may have to go to BAM with a question for an associate to see how and how well that works.

Schmidt’s interview is worth a read for a glimpse behind the curtain at Books-A-Million.

Alabama, Birmingham, Events

Booking in Birmingham, AL

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December is always a fun time here in Birmingham, AL, especially if you like shopping for books. With all of the Maker Fairs and local bazaars going on, there is always something to do on the weekends. What’s been fun is seeing all of the different bookshops sharing not just books, but new ways of selling books.

The Burdock Book Collective was set up outside the MAKE BHM space when we went to shop at a recent market event.

They had plenty of new and used titles. The new books were sold at cover price, and it was $5 for a used paperback and $10 for a used hardback. What’s fun about Burdock’s selections is that you will find lots of new titles and unique voices you won’t find on the shelves of other shops around Birmingham. 

I’ve not been able to get by their community space/shop while they’re open, but they do lots of pop-ups and currently have books at the Cha House Tea Room in Avondale.

We often see the Enjoyer Books folks at Cala Coffee (Cahaba Heights), and their pop-up at the most recent Cahabazaar was worth checking out. Focused on new titles, there is always plenty to look at. They also have some cool new shirts and stickers—such a fun couple to talk books with. I can’t wait to see their book bus in action. That’s going to be fun!

More than one outlet had new zines and small press printings, which were really cool.

But one of my favorite vendors while booking in Birmingham this season is Deep Woods Bindery. The work is so well done, and I really enjoy the marbled patterns on their notebooks. I even picked up one of their ornaments to go on the tree at home.

The craftsmanship of both casebound and paperback options is equal in quality and artistry. I am already looking forward to seeing their booth set up again somewhere.

Hope you all are tucked in, avoiding the chill in the air, and reading good books this weekend!

Birmingham, Bookstore Tourism, Bookstores

Little Professor in Homewood, AL

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I found time to swing by the new bookshop for Little Professor in Homewood, AL. It was a beautifully bright & sunny day, which the new book shop is built for. The inside is roomy and Instagram-ready, with high walls and sparse tables. There is also a great seating area along the front window where you can sip your coffee.

They’ve only been open a couple of weeks, and it’s exciting to think about what’s possible in their new space and location. Little Professor has also launched a new podcast at the same time they opened their doors. It’s called A Little Bookish with new episodes dropping on Tuesdays. I recommend episodes one and three if you’d like a good peek behind the scenes of what it takes to open a bookstore.

While I (am old enough) to still miss the tasty sandwiches from the Crepe Myrtle’s restaurant that was attached to a previous location years ago, the new one is easier to access from nearby hotels and restaurants and is clearly built for community. You can check out their old location (up the street here) and you can check out their Little Professor Pepper Place location here.

Little Professor in Homewood, AL only sell new books and also have some stylish sidelines and merch. They also have an annual membership that offers some perks on discounted books and coffee. Their hours are:

They are now located at:
2783 18th St. S., Homewood, AL   35209
Phone:   (205)870-7461

Their hours are:
Monday-Friday 8:00am – 6:00pm
Saturday 8:00am – 6:00pm
Sunday 10:00am – 5:00pm