Seven independent bookstores are collaborating for a special bookstore crawl event Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. including Salem’s own Bob’s Bookstore, located at 657 E. State St. inside Courtyard Square. Robert Greier, the owner of Bob’s Bookstore, said that events like the bookstore crawl, which cater to the preferences of store patrons, particularly younger readers, are essential to the long-term success of independently owned bookstores. Shown is Greier. (Photo by Morgan Ahart)

SALEM — Seven independently owned bookstores are collaborating for a special event Saturday.

Local independent book retailers Bob’s Bookstore, located at 657 E. State St. inside Courtyard Square, will be teaming up with six other independent stores across the Mahoning Valley, including Paperback Shack in Niles, Clever Quill Bookstore in Carrollton, Once Upon a Bookstore in Vienna, and Cornucopia of Cool Books and Dorrie’s Bookstore in Canton, for a “bookstore crawl” from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Like a bar or restaurant crawl, participants will receive a map with the locations of the participating stores, visiting all seven over the course of the event and receiving a stamp on their map from each of them.

Robert Greier, the owner of Bob’s Bookstore, said that once participants get their final stamp, they’ll receive a special prize from whichever store they choose as the last stop, and that Bob’s Bookstore would be giving out gift cards and entries for a raffle basket drawing as its stamp reward.

Greier said that participants could start at any location and visit the stores in any order and estimated that it would take three to four hours to complete the full circuit. In addition to distributing rewards for completing the stamp card, each of the participating businesses will also have special sales and more surprises.

“You’ll have a wonderful morning visiting seven independent bookstores,” said Greier.

Greier said that the first bookstore crawl last October was well received by the participants, and very well attended. He also said that he was inspired to plan the bookstore crawl by several of his customers using the term to describe their own day out visiting multiple bookstores around Mahoning and Columbiana counties.

“I was amazed how well it was received. We had over 100 people come out in October,” said Greier.

Greier said that novel strategies which appeal to the tastes of its individual clientele, like the bookstore crawl, are essential for attracting customers and operating a successful independent bookstore. He also said that once those strategies get customers through the door it’s essential that the store’s inventory meets their needs on every level, noting that in addition to its contents, many modern readers consider things like the aesthetics of a book and how it will fit on their bookshelf when they finish reading when making their selections.

“They don’t just buy literature and novels; they’re buying treasures. They have a very clear image of where the books will go once they’ve read them, and they need to be aesthetically pleasing in that spot. When they walk in here, it has to be their bookstore, not Bob’s bookstore,” said Greier.