The first-ever North Texas Indie Bookstore Crawl is in full swing starting this week and quite a few stops can be found in the Oak Cliff area.
Inspired by the Houston-area tradition during April’s Independent Bookstore Day month, this crawl features 24 indie bookstores, which have been booming in North Texas over the last decade. The initiative, led by Grapevine’s Talking Animals Books, showcases beloved literature hubs in the DFW-metroplex.
Seven indie bookstores of the Oak Cliff area are involved in the month-long celebration.
Blush Bookstore
The newest edition of shops to the area of Bishop Arts, Blush Bookstore curates romance reads paired with a selection of knick-knacks and home goods beside the rosy pink bookshelves. The shop, located at 432 W. Eighth St., is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Blush Bookstore. Photo by Victoria Hernandez.
Fine Print Bookstore
The newest addition to the crawl, though not located on the passport and map, is the Fine Print Bookstore, a curated space of independent magazines and poster gallery. Open only through the weekend Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., the store is located at 212 S. Madison Ave.
Lucky Dog Books N. Oak Cliff
One of two locations, the Oak Cliff spot at 911 W. Jefferson Blvd. is a bricks ‘n’ mortar shop devoted to used books, movies, and music. In addition to in-person, paperback books, the shop also provides the ability to browse for streaming audio books that benefit Lucky Dog Books through Libro.fm.
Lucky Dog Books- N. Oak Cliff. Photo by Victoria Hernandez.
Pan-African Connection
The family-run book shop, art gallery and resource center is located in the Glendale Shopping Center at 4466 S. Marsalis Ave on the edge of Oak Cliff. The shop carries a variety of Pan-African focused literature and merchandise, known to be the “shortest trip to Africa, without a plane.”
Inside Pan-African Connection. Photo by Victoria Hernandez.
Poets Books Bishop Arts
The dainty shop is located at 506 N. Bishop Ave. sucks you in with the blinding black walls and sweet scent of the neighboring cigar lounge lining the shelves. In addition to its on display typewriter, the location pairs poetry, fiction, and nonfiction books with bookmarks and tote bags.
Photo by Victoria Hernandez.
Whose Books
With a mural of blue and white friendly faces leading to the entry, this neighborhood shop and event space, located at 512 W. Davis St., provides a variety of selections available for all ages. This location also provides a 10% off promotion with proof of bookstore passport.
Whose Books. Photo by Victoria Hernandez.
The Wild Detectives
The staple bar and bookstore, the first of its kind in the area to open in 2014, provides a free drink with book purchase as a part of the promotional crawl. The sophisticated establishment known for centering conversation and human interaction among the oaky walls can be found in a little house at 314 W. Eighth St.
The Wild Detectives. Photo by Victoria Hernandez.
To participate, readers can pick up a passport from a participating shop or print it at home, fill out the squares on the back of the map from each establishment visited, and return the complete or partially filled squares in person at Talking Animals Books or by email to katyandval@gmail.com by August 31. Only passports returned to Talking Animals Books in-person will be included in the raffle.
Participants can make it a goal to visit a handful with each store visited equating to a raffle entry, or try to complete the entire crawl to win one of three giveaway prizes with winners notified Sept. 30.
