Our Town Books marks Independent Bookstore Day with downtown celebration

Downtown Jacksonville will have a bookish crowd on its hands when Our Town Books turns Independent Bookstore Day into an all-day celebration at 64 E. Central Park Plaza.

The local independent shop will run its event from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 25, with an early opening, a $10 fill-a-bag sale of books, a sidewalk sale of other goodies, a discount wheel for shoppers who spend $20, special children’s coupons during storytime and book bingo. Raffles also are part of the lineup, making the day feel more like a downtown gathering than a routine promotion.

Independent Bookstore Day itself is a national one-day event held on the last Saturday in April. The American Booksellers Association says about 2,000 independent bookstores are expected to take part in 2026, up from 1,600 in 2025, for the 13th annual celebration. The association says the day centers on exclusive books and literary items, contests, cupcakes and other events, with many stores using it to showcase community ties and local programming.

That description fits the way Our Town Books is positioning the day in Jacksonville. The store says on its website that it has been “selling books since 2011,” giving it a 15-year stretch of presence in the city center. Its listed contact information places it squarely in downtown Jacksonville, with the shop at 64 E. Central Pk Plz, Jacksonville, IL 62650, and a phone number of 217-245-2665.

The event also points to the kind of crowd downtown businesses look for on a Saturday in spring: families coming for storytime, regular readers chasing a bargain, and casual visitors drawn by the mix of sales and games. For a small business, the day blends retail with the kind of public activity that keeps downtown visible and active.

Independent bookstore owners have described the day as something bigger than shopping. ABA CEO Allison Hill said it celebrates “human connection, diversity and inclusivity, independent thought and independence, and the power of community and truth.” In Jacksonville, that idea will play out in a single storefront, with books, prizes and steady foot traffic giving Morgan County one more reason to head downtown.