The MN Bookstore Guide to Black Friday and Small Business Saturday 2024

Thanksgiving is here, and as always, lots of Minnesota indie bookstores are offering sales and specials on Black Friday, a.k.a. Plaid Friday, and Small Business Saturday, November 29–November 30, 2024. Here, you’ll find information on what all your favorite shops throughout the state are doing on those days as well as a few sales and specials happening on Thursday and extending beyond this weekend (see the end for those).

Check out the handy map at the bottom of this guide to find the bookstore closest to you or a new neighborhood to explore. If you haven’t been to a particular store in a few years, keep in mind that some businesses have different hours than they did before the pandemic, and some continue to encourage or require masking. When we’re aware of stores requiring or requesting masks, we’ve included that below.

New since last year’s Black Friday and Small Business Saturday:

• The Vintage Storyteller, a bookstore and gift shop, opened in Maple Plain in early 2024
• Tropes and Trifles, Minneapolis’s romance bookstore, made its pop-up location permanent in spring 2024
• Niche Books opened in Lakeville in summer 2024
• Story Line Books opened in the St. Paul Union Depot in fall 2024

Friday and Saturday (November 29 and 30) in Minnesota

Against the Current in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood of St. Paul will be open regular hours on Friday and Saturday.

Avant Garden in Anoka will have its weekly Saturday Story Hour from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. on Small Business Saturday with author Barbara Anderson.

At Beagle and Wolf Books and Bindery in Park Rapids, get 20% off any in-store book listed in the holiday catalog on both Friday and Saturday (does not combine with other offers). On Friday, the store is participating in Park Rapids’ annual Yuletide Sampler, which begins at 5:00 p.m. and has local businesses running specials and handing out treats in the run-up to the 6:00 tree lighting; Beagle and Wolf is open until “7ish.” On Saturday, there will be refreshments served throughout the day and a prize drawing available, authors Don Clark and Marcie Rendon will be in the store, and each purchase comes with free gift wrapping, a free book, and a free tote bag while supplies last.

Big Hill Books in Bryn Mawr, Minneapolis, will have Early Readers’ Storytime on Saturday from 11:00 to 11:30 a.m.

Birchbark Books and Native Arts in Kenwood, Minneapolis, will be open extended hours (10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.) beginning on Black Friday and continuing Wednesday through Saturday throughout the holiday season except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

The Book House in Dinkytown, Minneapolis, is open regular hours on Friday and Saturday. All Native American history and immigration books are 20% off during the month of November.

Books Revisited in St. Cloud will be offering 20% off storewide, refreshments, and free gift wrapping on Saturday.

At Black Garnet Books in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood, get 10% off purchases $50 and over on Saturday, both in store and online with the code SMALL.

At the Bookstore at Fitger’s in Duluth on both Friday and Saturday, get 25% off jigsaw puzzles, a free gift with the purchase of a gift certificate for $25 or more, and a free tote bag with purchases of $100 or more while supplies last. You can also get 15% off your whole purchase through December 31 with a coupon in the store’s holiday catalog (available on request and at the store).

The Bookstore in Pine City is currently running its Christmas sale, in which every item in the store is at least 20% off and some items are up to 50% off.

Buffalo Books and Coffee in Buffalo will have in-store specials, a prize drawing, and a book signing in the Fireplace Room with local author Richard Ebert from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Small Business Saturday. The store is open regular hours both Friday and Saturday.

At Cherry Street Books in Alexandria, get 50% off kids’ holiday socks, holiday Pop keychains, Bunnies by the Bay, and Wild Woolies Finger puppets on Friday and Saturday.

Comma in Linden Hills is celebrating its second anniversary on Saturday with birthday cake (and dog treats), giveaways, and “other special surprises.” The store is also collecting books for Queerspace Collective.

Content Bookstore in Northfield is hosting its annual Holiday Book Talk on Small Business Saturday from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. Sales rep Jason Gobble will present a collection of gift recommendations, and there will be coffee and donuts while they last.

At Cream & Amber in Hopkins on Friday and Saturday, get 20% off all online orders and 25% off any items in the holiday catalog (through December 10). In the store, there will be a $1 book sale, pop-up vendors, featured Cream & Amber merch, holiday cookies, and winter drink specials both days.

Cream and Amber in Hopkins. Madeleine Vasaly

DreamHaven Books and Comics in Minneapolis’s Standish has the following going on:

We’re swamped. And we’ve run out of room. So starting on Black Friday (Nov. 29) we’ll be offering bargain books and comics at prices not seen
in 30 years. Literally.

For those who don’t know, a short time ago we bought the inventory of a bookstore in Denver (The Little Bookshop of Horrors) which closed its doors nearly 30 years ago.  The books have been in storage since then.  Here are a few things we’ll be featuring:

• $1.00 Paperbacks—Many classic SF/Fantasy/Mystery novels
• $3–$5 hardcover—SF/Fantasy Mystery
• 25¢ Comics—Remember quarter boxes?  Probably not but we do.
• Many small press books from publishers like Dark Harvest, Fedogan & Bremer, Arkham House at prices at or below their original prices from years ago.

We will be adding books & comics all day on Black Friday as well as on the next day, Small Business Saturday.

We also just bought a very large collection of Marvel Masterworks, DC Archives, and other graphic novels/collections which are going into the store as we price them.

Drury Lane Books in Grand Marais is holding its annual holiday sale: 15% to 20% off storewide Friday through Monday.

Fair Trade Books in Red Wing is offering pets with the new bookstore dog, Alibar, a golden retriever puppy named for a character in Tom Robbins’s Jitterbug Perfume. Anyone wearing festive attire will receive a 10% extra discount on our certified used puzzles, and as always, the store will give any first-time customer a fee book (the owners note they’re up to 83,000 books since 2013!).

Four Pines Bookstore in Bemidji will be giving ornaments to anyone who wears plaid on Plaid Friday, when the store will be open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. On Saturday, get a Four Pines mug for $5 on Saturday (open regular hours, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).

Garden Party Books in Rochester is open regular hours on Friday and Saturday. On Saturday at 11:15, Rochester author Barbara Swisher Amundson will be reading her children’s book Stanley’s Standing Ovation, with activity sheets to do.

Haven Books in Buffalo is opening early, at 9:00 a.m., on Friday and Saturday. Haven Books’ Big Lake store is closed until 2025.

The Irreverent Bookworm in South Minneapolis on Saturday, buy a $50 gift certificate and receive your choice of a free Irreverent tote or mug, plus sign up for giveaways and have a snack. The store is also advertising its “complete lack of Christmas music! HUZZAH!!”

At the Little Professor Book Center in Owatonna, get 20% off storewide (except periodicals) Friday and Saturday.

Magers and Quinn in Uptown Minneapolis is open regular hours on Friday and Saturday. (See the Thanksgiving Day online sale listed in the section below.)

May Day Bookstore on the West Bank in Minneapolis is offering its usual deal of 20% off all hardcover books and 15% off all paperback books.

The Open Book arts center, home to Milkweed Books. Madeleine Vasaly

Milkweed Books at Open Book in downtown Minneapolis will have drinks and snacks, staff recommendations, and special promotions throughout the day on Saturday, including a galley grab bag and broadside basket. Open Book is also holding its third annual Artist, Writer & Maker Mart on Saturday and Sunday.

Moon Palace Books in Longfellow, Minneapolis, is open regular hours Friday and Saturday. Watch the store newsletter for any special promotions.

More Than Words in Moorhead is open extended hours, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., on both Friday and Saturday, with more details to come—watch the More Than Words Facebook page.

Next Chapter Booksellers in Macalester-Groveland, St. Paul, will be hosting local authors every Saturday through Christmas for “informal meet-and-greet-style signings,” and November 30’s authors are Sally Franson and Ellie Palmer. The store is also collecting donations for the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (BINC), a nonprofit that supports booksellers and owners of bookstores comic shops who might otherwise lack a safety net; Penguin Random House will be matching donations, so your dollars go twice as far.

Next Chapter Booksellers in St. Paul. Madeleine Vasaly

At Niche Books, a new store in Lakeville, get $3 off puzzles, $2 off new books, and $1 off used books on Friday and Saturday. There will also be 10 coupons for 10% off hidden in the stacks each day that are good only on the day they are found (discount stacks on top of the 3-2-1 sale). On Saturday only, there will be a pop-up from Little Toffee Co. from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and if you bring in a friend who hasn’t been to the store before, you’ll both get a free Niche Books water bottle sticker.

Once Upon a Crime in Whittier, Minneapolis, is open Friday and Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The store is hosting five cozy mystery authors for its Cookies & Cozies event on Saturday from noon to 2:00.

At Paperback Book Palace in Rochester will be open regular hours on Friday and Saturday. Friday is the last day for the store’s November specials: 20% off cookbooks, history, war, and historical fiction.

Paperback Exchange in South Minneapolis is open regular hours Friday and Saturday.

Paperbacks and Pieces in Winona will be opening at 8:00 a.m. on Black Friday. Get a scratch-off coupon at checkout for a bonus discount, trade credit boost, or free items. (Most scratch-off discounts cannot be combined with trade credit.) Get an extra 10% off all clearance books, purses, wallets, and miscellaneous items on the clearance shelf, and 30% off Inklings Stuffy & Book combo gifts. On Small Business Saturday, get 10% off all prepaid new book orders (cannot be combined with trade credit—must pay at the time) and 10% back in trade credit on every purchase. Spend $40 and receive a $5 coupon good for purchases in January 2025. On both days, you can also enter to win two tickets to the Commonwheel Theater in Lanesboro, Minnesota.

Red Balloon Bookshop on Grand Avenue in St. Paul will have small treats and special coloring sheets for customers on Saturday and will be collecting book donations for the Ain Dah Yung Center and Women’s Advocates. Spend $100 or more and get a Red Balloon 40th anniversary poster or anniversary sticker packet while supplies last.

At Scout and Morgan Books in Cambridge, save 20% on all in-stock new and used books November 29–December 1 when you shop in person. For online orders, receive free shipping November 29–December 1.

At Story Line Books, which recently opened at the St. Paul Union Depot, is open regular hours Friday and Saturday. The European Christmas Market also starts at Union Depot this weekend and runs Friday, Saturdays, and Sundays through December 22.

At Sweet Reads Books in Austin on Saturday, get 20% off new books, 50% off used books, free gift cards for Coffeehouse on Main with qualifying purchases, and free samples from local bakery Oma’s Cookies. YA fantasy author Benet Stoen will also be signing books in the store from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The Thinking Spot in Wayzata is celebrating its third birthday on Black Friday with extended hours (9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.), treats, 15% off items listed in the store catalog, and 20% early-bird and late-night discounts (before 10:00 a.m. and after 6:00). On both Friday and Saturday, spin the wheel for prizes and discounts; buy 10 books in a single transaction and get a free T-shirt or tote bag; and take part in a snowflake-making activity or holiday book and puzzle exchange. Also all weekend, you can pick up a $25 anniversary bundle containing a notebook, two bookmarks, a Book Dart line marker, and the choice of one of four books that represent the idea of the Thinking Spot.

Tropes and Trifles in Standish, Minneapolis, is donating 10% of all online sales (including preorders) from 12:00 a.m. Thanksgiving Day through 11:59 p.m. on Friday directly to Minneapolis abortion fund Our Justice, and the same applies for in-person sales on Friday (the physical store is closed Thursday). For online orders, get free media mail or USPS ground shipping when you spend $100 or more. On Saturday, the store is participating in the Small Business Saturday passport program with the other businesses of 38th Street and 28th Avenue: Pick up a passport and get it stamped at Tropes and Trifles, Tare Market, Studio Emme, Atuvava Bakery, and Key West Bistro for a chance to win a gift card or gift basket from one of the participating businesses. A purchase is not required to get a stamp but is appreciated. (Read our feature on Tropes and Trifles, which upgraded from a pop-up to a permanent storefront earlier this year!)

Tropes and Trifles in Minneapolis. Madeleine Vasaly

Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore and Uncle Edgar’s Mystery Bookstore in Minneapolis will be open regular hours Friday and Saturday. Black Friday is also the first day of the Uncle Edgar’s 44th Anniversary Sale, which offers 10% off everything (except gift certificates and discount cards), and if you have a discount card, you get 20% off during the sale. The sale only applies to in-store purchases, not to mail orders.

At Valley Bookseller in Stillwater on both Friday and Saturday, buy $100 in gift cards and get $20 in gift cards free (through December 24); get one of 15 “Bookworm Bags” available on each day with a purchase of $75 or more, while supplies last; and enter to win prizes. Lifetime members also get 20% off.

At the Vintage Storyteller in Maple Plain, get a free book or map with any purchase on Friday or Saturday.

Wild Rumpus Books for Young Readers in Linden Hills, Minneapolis, is open regular hours on Friday and Saturday. The store is highlighting its 2024 Winter Buyer’s Guide in its window display and has displays for Christmas and Hanukkah up for browsing.

At Wildflower Bookshop in Grand Rapids, spend $100 on Friday in store or online and get a free $10 gift card. On Saturday, there will be free hot cocoa, make-your-own s’mores, and a prize wheel in the store.

Zenith Bookstore in Duluth is hosting authors Gerald J. Niemi (1:00 to 3:00 p.m.) and Anna Faro Henderson (2:00 to 4:00 p.m.) on Small Business Saturday. Also on Saturday, there will be advance reader copy giveaways, hot cocoa, and cookies in the store, and Zenith will be donating 10% of sales to WE Health Clinic.

Outside Minnesota

At Ferguson Books, now located at 214 Roberts Alley in downtown Fargo, buy two items and get two used books free on Friday (mix and match new items, used items, toys, puzzles, media, and more; not valid with store credit). On Saturday, get a free $10 gift card with every $50 you spend, plus some free books and other details to come.

Chapter2Books in Hudson is open an extra hour on Friday and Saturday, until 7:00 p.m.

Full Circle Book Co-Op in Sioux Falls is hosting a Black Friday Disco at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, get $100 gift cards for $75, $50 gift cards for $40, and buy two, get one free on Blind Date with a Book.

At Silver Dawn Books in Grand Forks on Friday, get a $5 gift card for every $20 you spend in the store and 10% off all orders, plus spin the wheel for extra deals. On Saturday, get 10% off all orders, or 15% off if your purchase is either a preorder or from the store’s bookplate binder, and check out the Book Lovers Event featuring Abigail’s Book & Gift Shop. Also on Saturday, there will be a book launch from noon to 3:00 p.m. for author Jordan Thiery’s Flesh Party: Five Monstrous Horror Stories. Discounts on either day can’t be combined with store credit.

Other Sale and Shopping Days

The following deals and events are happening on Thanksgiving Day:

• Magers and Quinn: Enter code TURKEY24 at checkout for 20% off your entire online order (physical store is closed)
• Tropes and Trifles: 10% of all online sales, including preorders, will be donated directly to Minneapolis abortion fund Our Justice (physical store is closed)
• Haven Books and Gifts: Turkey Day Evening Shopping Soirée with Granny & Grandpa’s Homemade Creations from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m.

The following deals extend beyond Friday and Saturday:

• Avant Garden: Visit the store on Cider Monday, December 2, to get 25% off your purchase—plus bring your receipt to the coffee bar for a free hot cider while supplies last
• Bookstore at Fitger’s: 15% with holiday catalog coupon continues through December 31
• Cream & Amber: 25% off any items in the holiday catalog continues through December 10
• Drury Lane Books: 15% to 20% off storewide continues through Monday, December 2
• Once Upon a Crime: Though the store is usually closed on Sunday, it’s open December 1 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Scout and Morgan Books: 20% on all in-stock new and used books (in person) and free shipping (online) continues through Sunday, December 1
• Fair Trade Books: For the entire month of December, customers with store credit receive a 33% discount on any denomination of gift certificate, which will never expire
• Valley Bookseller: Free Media Mail shipping for all web orders placed on Monday, December 2 (does not apply to preorders); buy $100 in gift cards and get $20 in gift cards free continues through December 24

Other Bookstores to Support

Don’t forget about the other indie bookstores around Minnesota (and just across the border) not mentioned above! There are plenty of other local businesses to support all year round, including:

• AJ’s Book Hideaway (Albert Lea)
• The Amazing Alonzo (Duluth)
• Back Forty Books (Two Harbors)
• Black Letter Books (Stillwater)
• Boneshaker Books (Seward, Minneapolis)
• Bookshelves and Coffeecups (New Ulm)
• Chapter 2 Bookstore (Winona)
• Chapter Two (Redwood Falls)
• Chapter One MN (Victoria)
• Eat My Words Bookstore (Northeast Minneapolis)
• Excelsior Bay Books (Excelsior)
• James and Mary Laurie Booksellers (North Loop, Minneapolis)
• Lake Country Booksellers (White Bear Lake)
• Lundeen’s (Fergus Falls)
• Midway Used and Rare Books (Midway, St. Paul)
• Other Skies Weird Fiction (West St. Paul)
• Rabata Bookshop (Arden Hills)
• Strive Bookstore (downtown Minneapolis
• SubText Books (downtown St. Paul)
• Turtle Town Books and Gifts (Nisswa)
• The Willow Bookstore (Perham)

Finally, keep in mind this list doesn’t include any of Minnesota’s great comic shops—like Comic Book College, Hot Comics and Collectibles, and so many more—or other geeky businesses that are having promotions this week.

Happy shopping!

Did we miss something? Let us know!