Indie Bookstore Day Is the Balm We Need
An interview with Grand Gesture Books in Portland, OR
April 15, 2026
*Pauses audiobook*
With Indie Bookstore Day just over a week away (April 25, if you haven’t already marked your calendar!), our team at Libro.fm is locked in. And we know our bookselling partners around the US and Canada are, too. Because while the day is a celebration of their stores, booksellers are going above and beyond to show us, their customers, a good time.
Indie Bookstore Day began in 2014 at Green Apple Books in San Francisco (which also happens to be my local indie bookshop). The owners suggested creating a “California Bookstore Day,” which in 2015 went nationwide. Now managed by the American Booksellers Association, almost 1,900 indies in the US alone are participating this year.
But why put so much effort into this one day? Why is it important, and how can we book lovers show up for our favorite indies the way they show up for us?
Whether supporting our indie bookshops in person or from afar on Bookstore Day, it’s something we can truly feel good about. These third spaces are vital for our communities, especially as everything going on the world feels…like a lot. A lot a lot. And honestly, it’s exciting! It’s a holiday for book lovers; our dreams have come true!
This month, we reached out to Grand Gesture Books to learn more. Located in Portland, the store is a queer, Black woman-owned romance bookstore that believes reading can be both political and fun. Katherine, the store’s founder and owner, previously ran Powell’s Books’ romance section, loved it, and eventually thought: “Maybe this could be something that I can do.” And she is—with an amazing focus on community .
Read on for an interview with Katherine, as well as her recommended audiobooks and a giveaway!
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An interview with Grand Gesture Books
The following has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Why is Bookstore Day important for independent bookshops? How does your store celebrate?
For us, it’s one of the biggest days of the year because people come out, excited to celebrate and discover new indies all around them. It’s nice to feel appreciated every single day by our customers, but I would compare Bookstore Day to Valentine’s Day; our customers go a little more out of the way to celebrate with us.
Grand Gesture is going to have author signings, cupcakes (we’re located by a few cupcake shops and they’re so delicious), and a romance trivia night. We’re also unveiling our new logo on new merch so it’s extra exciting!
Community is a central to indie bookshops, and feels more important than ever these days! What does community mean to and look like for Grand Gesture?
Community to us means that we show up and try our best every day. We try to host a lot of free events where people can come and meet up. We donate to charities and local fundraiser events. We like to joke that we’re kind and supportive of everyone, unless you’re truly terrible. We treat everyone fairly and express care towards them. We love our neighbors and we tell them that every day.
Grand Gesture hosts so many amazing events—recent ones include a Heated Rivalry craft night, dating meetups, and a wedding market. What are some of your favorite events you’ve hosted so far, and what would a dream event be for the store?
In our first year alone, we got to host so many authors that I could only dream about. Getting to bring Kennedy Ryan to the PNW was everything. I’ve never seen that many Black women in one room in Portland, Oregon before and I was LIVING. Megan Bannen was such a sweetheart as well.
I threw myself a book swap birthday party earlier this year and invited all of our customers to join me and it was so special. Honestly, every year gets more and more exciting for me. My new goal is to convince BK Borison’s publicist to bring her to Portland. People keep asking us for her and I’m like “I’m trying, I’m trying!”
What are some of your go-to audiobook recommendations?
A fun fact about me is that I love listening to nonfiction on audio! I will always recommend Becoming by Michelle Obama because it was so brilliant on audio. Another book that I just finished, which was actually fiction, was Twenty-Four Seconds from Now… by Jason Reynolds. It made me laugh out loud and I love recommending it to parents who are wanting to talk to their kids about sex in a fun yet patient and understanding way.
Win a copy of Twenty-Four Seconds from Now!
Win an audiobook copy of Twenty-Four Seconds from Now…, as recommended by Katherine at Grand Gesture Books. To enter, just let us know in the comments which indie bookshop you will be supporting this Indie Bookstore Day. We’ll announce the winner in our next newsletter!
That’s a wrap on this edition of Headphones On 🎧 Thanks so much to Grand Gesture for answering our questions. We can’t wait to celebrate Indie Bookstore Day, and will be back in the coming weeks with a digest of recommendations for your TBR.
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Thanks again for reading! Feel free to now return to your audiobook.
*Presses play*
Coming to you from San Francisco, this newsletter is written by me, Olivia Butze—hi! As the Associate Director of Marketing and Communications, you’ll find me running our social media accounts, creating brand campaigns, and working on all things email related. I’m passionate about storytelling as a catalyst for societal change, and my favorite activities include long audiobook walks, drinking matcha lattes, and reading in Golden Gate Park.
I'm excited to support my local bookstore, Birchbark Books, on independent bookstore day!
I'll be supporting Prince Books in Norfolk, VA.