Several Fairfax County bookstores are participating in an annual bookstore crawl program in Northern Virginia this spring.
The third annual NoVa+ Bookstore Crawl Passport program kicks off this Saturday (April 25) at 18 independent bookstores across Northern Virginia, including Bards Alley and Big Planet Comics in Vienna, Scrawl Books in Reston and Fonts Books & Gifts in McLean.
Launching on Independent Bookstore Day, the initiative encourages participants pick up a “passport” at any participating store and collect stamps by visiting each featured business through May 31.
“Once they have visited 4 stores, they can collect a book prize,” Fonts Books & Gifts said in a press release. “Those who visit 8 stores earn a tote bag. And, readers who visit at least 10 of the participating stores by May 31st can enter to win one of the Grand Prizes.”
The American Booksellers Association established Independent Bookstore Day in 2013 “to promote, celebrate, and highlight the value of the independent bookstore community,” according to Arlington bookstore One More Page Books. More than 1,600 stores are expected to participate, hosting celebrations nationwide.
The Northern Virginia crawl has expanded each year since it was introduced in 2024, when more than a dozen shops took part.
This year, participants will need to venture as far north as Frederick, Maryland, and as far south as Orange, Virginia, if they want to visit every bookseller. There’s even a store in West Virginia.
A list of participating bookstores is available, below.
- Bards Alley, 110 Church Street NW, Vienna
- Big Planet Comics, 426 Maple Avenue E., Vienna
- Birch Tree Book, 11 W. Market Street, Leesburg
- Curious Iguana, 12 N. Market Street, Frederick, Maryland
- Fonts Books & Gifts, 6262 Old Dominion Drive, McLean
- Friends to Lovers, 301 Cameron Street, Alexandria
- Hundred Acre Books – 172 E. Davis Street, Culpeper
- Middleburg Books, 17 S. Madison Street, Middleburg
- Old Town Books, 130 S. Royal Street, Alexandria
- One More Page Books, 2200 N. Westmoreland Street, Arlington
- The Open Book, 104 Main Street, Warrenton
- Scrawl Books, 11911 Freedom Drive, Reston
- Spelled Ink LLC, 132 W. Main Street, Orange
- Winchester Book Gallery, 7 N. Loudoun Street, Winchester
- WordPlay, 50 W. Main Street, Wardensville, West Virginia
Outside of the NoVA+ Passport Crawl, planned Independent Bookstore Day events in Fairfax County include a storytime and book signing at Scrawl, various giveaways and a raffle at Fonts Books, and an audiobook walk and author visits at Bards Alley. More details on each store’s offerings can be found on their websites and social media pages.
