The MN Bookstore Guide to Black Friday and Small Business Saturday 2025

It’s that time! Indie bookstores throughout Minnesota are offering sales and specials on Black Friday (which some small businesses celebrate as Plaid Friday) and Small Business Saturday, November 28 and 29, 2025. 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 while, 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.

Some updates since last year’s Small Business Saturday:

• Boneshaker Books has relocated to 708 W. 26th St., just across Lyndale Avenue from Once Upon a Crime in Minneapolis
• The Book Lady’s Library—a bookstore selling from the collection of the late Jeanette Kamman, known as the Book Lady—has opened at 637 Smith Avenue in St. Paul
• The Enchanted Quill opened in North Branch
• Excelsior Bay Books and the Bookstore in Pine City both changed ownership this year, and former Pine City owner Dana Volkers Phillips has opened Dana’s Bookstore in Isanti
• Haven Books’ Big Lake location has reopened
• Inkwell Booksellers opened in Minneapolis
• Paperback Exchange is still closed following the water main break that flooded the store and neighboring businesses in February 2025, but the team said via their GoFundMe campaign in early November that they “hope to have news to share about a potential opening soon, so stay tuned!”
• Strive Bookstore has moved from 901 to 825 Nicollet Mall, on the first floor of the Medical Arts Building

Friday and Saturday (November 28 and 29) in Minnesota

Avant Garden in Anoka will be open regular hours on Friday and Saturday. The store will have its weekly Saturday Story Hour from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. on Small Business Saturday.

At Back Forty Books in Two Harbors, books will be 10% off on both Friday and Saturday.

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 and a prize drawing; each purchase comes with free gift wrapping, a free book, and a free tote bag while supplies last; and author Will Weaver will be in the store from noon to 2:00 p.m. signing copies of his new book, Black Dirt, Bright Stars.

Birchbark Books and Native Arts in Kenwood, Minneapolis, will be open regular hours on Friday and Saturday. New this year, the store is offering gift boxes that contain Birchbark merch, including totes, postcards, and socks. Masking is not required but is appreciated.

Boneshaker Books, now located at 708 West 26th St. in Minneapolis near Once Upon a Crime, will be offering 10% off your Black Friday weekend purchase of three books or more (does not apply to other items), and the store will have a free limited-edition button for early shoppers. Masking is required; masks are available in the store if you don’t have one.

At the Book House in Dinkytown, Minneapolis, all Native American history, immigration, and postcolonial studies books are 20% off during the month of November, and all gift cards and items in the store’s glass case are 20% off from this weekend through the end of December.

Books Revisited in St. Cloud will be offering 20% off storewide, refreshments, and a self-service gift wrapping station on Saturday.

Black Garnet Books in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood is hosting a vendor fair on Saturday featuring itsharpycrafts, zakkdraws, and MN Doodle Booth.

Against the Current in St. Paul’s Macalester-Groveland neighborhood is open regular hours Friday and Saturday.

The Book Lady’s Library in St. Paul will be open special hours on Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and will have “I Thought of You” gifts for $5.

Bookshelves and Coffeecups in New Ulm is permanently closing on December 23. Between now and the store’s last day, get hardcover books for $3, large softcover books for $2, and small paperback books for $1.

At the Bookstore at Fitger’s in Duluth all weekend, Palm Pals are buy four, get one free; calendars are 15% off; and shoppers get a free Bookstore at Fitger’s tote bag with a purchase of $125 or more (while supplies last). On Saturday, the store will be giving away “a tote bag filled with cool book stuff including a Bibliophile Advent Calendar,” and the first 20 shoppers will get a free Bookstore at Fitger’s tote bag, plus other giveaways.

At the Bookstore in Pine City, games, puzzles, and gifts will be 10% off, new books will be 20% off, and used books will be 50% off on Friday and Saturday.

Buffalo Books and Coffee will be participating in Buffalo’s Shop Small Saturday with other local businesses: “Start your day at Hutch & Home inside the Lakeview mall and pick up your complimentary Shop Small bag, filled with coupons and goodies from business around town. Enjoy festive treats, giveaways and plenty of holiday cheer as you visit each shop.” (One bag per household; must be 18 or older.)

Chapter 2 Bookstore in Winona is selling its newest T-shirts ($15) and hoodies ($40) with “everyone’s favorite cat, Guildenstern.”

Cherry Street Books in Alexandria is participating in a Richard Scarry passport promotion with fellow local businesses Adorable Chaos, Lulie, and Hello Beautiful. Visit the participating stores for “a stamp and a special prize” and enjoy a Richard Scarry photo op at the bookstore; only 50 sticker passports are available.

Comma in Linden Hills is celebrating its third anniversary on Saturday with giveaways, specials, birthday cupcakes and dog treats, and custom cookies from the Chocolate Chickadee.

Content Bookstore in Northfield is hosting its annual Holiday Book Talk on Black Friday from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. Sales rep Jason Gobble will present a collection of gift recommendations, which will be 20% off that day. There will be coffee and donuts while they last on both Friday and Small Business Saturday.

At Cream & Amber in Hopkins, get a free 12-ounce coffee with any books or merchandise purchase on Friday. On Saturday, the first 10 people who spend $100 get a swag bag, and Scone punch cards are available for pick up (one day only). On both days, save $10 on Cream & Amber sweatshirts and check out the cafe’s featured chaider drink (chai and apple cider)

Cream and Amber in Hopkins. Madeleine Vasaly

At Dana’s Bookstore in Isanti, Minnesota, all books in the store will be 20% off November 28–30.

At DreamHaven Books and Comics in Minneapolis’s Standish neighborhood on Friday and Saturday, all Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki items, Dungeon Crawler Carl titles, and The Incal by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Mœbius will be 25% off; “many” signed sci-fi mystery titles will be $10 to $20; and various individual books will be 25% to 50% off. Friday only, all bagged and boarded back-issue comics will also be 25%.

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

Eat My Words Bookstore in Northeast Minneapolis will open regular hours on Friday and Saturday. At 6:00 p.m on Saturday, Big Big Brain!, Ducksmithsonian, and Better Devils will perform in the store.

The Enchanted Quill in North Branch will be opening early (8:00 a.m.) on Black Friday and offering a free book/ereader sleeve or dice set for the first 10 customers, 20% off all used books, and holiday book bundles—combine any book plus any two gift items to get 15% off. On Saturday, there will be free gift wrapping from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and a free Christmas bookmark with every purchase. On both days, get $5 in Enchanted Dollars for every $50 spent in person or get 10% your online order with code ENCHANTED10 (free shipping over $50 or free in-store pickup).

Excelsior Bay Books in Excelsior will be open regular hours Friday through Sunday. On Friday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Water Street, the city is having its first annual Christmas in Excelsior event, which will include a holiday market, Santa visits, carriage rides, seasonal eats, and more.

Fair Trade Books in Red Wing is hosting the Red Wing Holiday Stroll. As always, the store will also be gifting books to first-time customers, and shoppers who spend more than $100 on books or puzzles will get a canvas book bag.

Four Pines Bookstore in Bemidji will be opening early, at 9:00 a.m., on Friday and Saturday. Shop deals and pick up a drink from the Sota Sip Coffee Cart on both days.

At Garden Party Books in Rochester, show your free Experience Rochester Holiday Pass on your phone to get $10 off a purchase of $25 or more on Friday and Saturday. (The pass is available for download and also gives you the chance to win a $500 gift card.) On Friday, each shopper will get a free Garden Party sticker; on Saturday, the store will have a free woven heart craft activity available. Get more details on the Garden Party Books Facebook page.

Haven Books’ stores in both Big Lake and Buffalo are open 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. on Friday and 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Saturday. On both days, shoppers earn double rewards points on all purchases and can roll the dice for a discount up to 20%. On Saturday, shoppers get an advance reader copy (ARC) with a purchase of $50 or more or an ARC and a Haven tote bag with a purchase of $100 or more (while supplies last), and each store will be hosting a group of authors from 11:00 to 3:00: E.H. Drake, Jake Fredendall, April Gaisford, Sylvia Morrow, and Ellen Wilder in Big Lake and Richard Ebert, Christine Husom, and Lauri Robinson in Buffalo. Finally, Haven will be selling at Lupulin Brewing’s Small Business Saturday market (10:00–2:00), where you can shop new “blind date with a book” bundles and “get the first look at our new holiday dictionary page art greeting cards.”

At Hey Darling in Austin on Saturday, get 15% off holiday titles, $5 off totes, $15 tees, get a free “blind date book” with a purchase of $65 (while supplies last), get a $10 gift card when you spend $100, buy two get one free on all manga titles, and “tons of books will also be marked down.”

Inkwell Booksellers in Minneapolis. Madeleine Vasaly

Inkwell Booksellers in Northeast Minneapolis is hosting a Holiday Makers Market on Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. with products from local artists and makers.

The Irreverent Bookworm in South Minneapolis, the first 10 people in the door on Small Business Saturday will get a free classic-style Irreverent Bookworm mug; a purchase of $50 or more gets you a free mug or tote; and there will be free snacks and beverages for all. The store’s new mug design will also be available.

Lake Country Booksellers in White Bear Lake will be hosting author Peg Guilfoyle from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday for a signing of her new book, An Eye for Joy.

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

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, which is  celebrating “50 years of radical bookselling,” 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 be open regular hours. The store will have “staff recommendations, holiday gift-giving guides, and booksellers eager to engage with readers.” On Saturday, you can also visit the Queer Voices holiday market on the second floor of Open Book, which will have a quiet/sensory-friendly shopping hour from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., readings by local authors at noon, and an open mic at 1:00 p.m.; masks are required in the Queer Market space and one will be provided if you don’t have your own.

Midway Used and Rare Books in St. Paul will be having its usual 20% off sale black Friday through Sunday, valid on all used and rare books, comics, and magazines.

More Than Words in Moorhead, wear plaid on Plaid Friday to earn 15% off your entire purchase. On Saturday, earn a scratch-off coupon with your purchase to use on a future visit.

Next Chapter Booksellers in Macalester-Groveland, St. Paul, will be hosting author Stephanie Hansen for a signing of True North Cabin Cookbook Vol. 2 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Next Chapter Booksellers in St. Paul. Madeleine Vasaly

At Niche Books in Lakeville, get 15% off both new and used books all day on Friday and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. On Black Friday, authors Kathleen West (Making Friends Can Be Murder) and Juliana Brandt (Exit Nowhere) will be signing in the store from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. On Saturday, Darula Designs (makers of book and ereader sleeves) and Seven Phases Baking Co. (local cottage baker) will be selling their goods.

Once Upon a Crime in Whittier, Minneapolis, is open regular hours on Black Friday weekend. As mentioned, Boneshaker Books is the store’s new neighbor, now located just across Lyndale Avenue.

At Paperback Book Palace in Rochester, children’s/YA, Christmas/holiday, and historical fiction books are 20% off during the month of November.

Paperbacks and Pieces in Winona will have bargain paperbacks at five for $1, an additional 10% off all clearance items, and $5 off a purchase of $50 or more in used books. The store will also be hosting Coffee Cake Bakery. On Saturday, get 15% off all remaining clearance and 15% off most new items, with visiting guests Coffee Cake Bakery, Riley Bergsten, Terri Karsten, Ruth Bures, and C. C. Aune.

At Red Balloon Bookshop on Grand Avenue in St. Paul from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, Trung Le Nguyen will be celebrating his new graphic novel, Angelica and the Bear Prince, in conversation with K. Woodman Maynard (Tuck Everlasting: The Graphic Novel). The store’s monthly Saturday Storytime is also happening on Small Business Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

At Scout and Morgan Books in Cambridge, save 20% on all in-stock new and used books November 28–30 when you shop in person. For online orders, receive free shipping November 28–30.

SubText Books in downtown St. Paul doesn’t have plans for any sales or special discounts but is open regular hours both Friday and Saturday: “Small Business Saturday is meant to celebrate the small businesses in our communities that make our neighborhoods safe, welcoming, and special. We are inviting anyone who wants to support SubText Books on Small Business Saturday to stop in as we celebrate our 10th year in downtown St. Paul. There will be books.”

Sweet Reads Books in Austin is hosting a lineup of local musicians starting at 5:30 p.m. on Friday: Students from MacPhail (5:30), the AHS Austinaires (6:00), La Fiera Chamber Orchestra (6:15), Community Sing-a-long (6:30), and the MacPhail Community Choir (6:45). On Saturday, specials include 20% off new books, 50% off used books, and a gift book with a purchase of $25 or more, and local author Benét Stoen (Silver Street) will be in the store from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m..

The Thinking Spot in Wayzata is celebrating its fourth anniversary with extended hours (9:00–6:00), limited-edition anniversary book bundles, and an all-day, all-ages activity table on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, there will be a 20% early-bird discount from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., a free T-shirt or tote with the purchase of 10 or more books, spin-the-wheel discounts and freebies, Voyager Member specials, “birthday delicacies” by Savor, and Meet the Cat from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. On Saturday, there will be drawings for 20% off coupons at 11:00, 1:00, 3:00, and 5:00, and shoppers get a free mug with the purchase of 10 or more books.

Tropes and Trifles in Standish, Minneapolis, is donating 10% of all online and in-person sales from 12:00 a.m. on Monday, November 24, through 11:59 p.m. on Friday directly to Minneapolis abortion fund Our Justice. For online orders, use code OURJUSTICE to get free USPS Media Mail or UPS Ground shipping on orders $100 or more. On Saturday, the store is once again participating in the Small Business Saturday passport program with the other businesses of 38th Street and 28th Avenue: Pick up a passport at Tropes and Trifles, Tare Market, Studio Emme, Key West Bistro, or Atuvava Bakery and get it stamped at all the participating businesses for a chance to win a gift card set. A purchase is not required to get a stamp but is appreciated. Finally, from November 28 through December 19, Tropes & Trifles will be open Fridays until 7:00 p.m. with a station to wrap your own gift or decorate your own gift card holder from 4:00 p.m. to close.

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.

At Valley Bookseller in Stillwater on both Friday and Saturday, Lifetime Buyer Club members get 20% off and there will be holiday gift card specials (buy $100 in gift cards, get $20 in gift cards free, through December 24) and giveaways. There will also be a “special extra” for those who make a purchase of $75 or more.

The Vintage Storyteller in Maple Plain will be giving out a free vintage book of your choice with each purchase on Friday and Saturday. The shop will also be vending at the Palace Theater Holiday Market in St. Paul on Friday (2:00–8:00 p.m.) and Saturday (10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.).

Wild Rumpus Books for Young Readers in Linden Hills, Minneapolis, is open regular hours Friday through Sunday. The store is highlighting its 2025 Winter Buyer’s Guide, which features art that is also available on both youth and adult T-shirts. (The adult T-shirt is only available in ivory/green as of publication, but co-owner Timothy Otte notes that the purple/orchid youth colorway will be available in adult sizes soon.)

Zenith Bookstore in Duluth Zenith is celebrating Small Business Saturday with author meet-and-greets, hot chocolate, cookies, and ARC giveaways, plus the store will donate 10% of sales to the Interfaith Committee for Migrant Justice. The visiting authors are Tashia Hart (Girl Unreserved) from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.; Andy Bennett and Katy Helbacka, a husband-and-wife team who write as Jay Martel (Codebreaker), from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.; and Margi Preus (Snowshoe Kate and the Hospital Built for Pennies) from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. The store’s holiday catalog will also be available, with gift recommendations and a coupon good for 20% off any book in store (valid until January 15, one per customer).

Outside Minnesota

Ferguson Books in Fargo, now located inside Daily’s Market at 216 Broadway, is running a four-day sale from Black Friday through Cyber Monday, both in store and online: Mix and match books and gift cards and get 25% two items, 50% three items, or 75% off four items, plus find “huge discounts on books for all ages” and gift card bonuses. There will also be a meet-and-greet and book signing with author JD White (Song of Svain) from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.

At Chapter2Books in Hudson, get 15% off your purchase on Plaid Friday when you wear plaid; on Saturday, Christmas-themed gifts, games, and titles are 15% off.

At Full Circle Book Co-Op in Sioux Falls, fill a house screen-printed tote with books $8 and under for only $25 (usual price $35); get a $100 gift card for $75 or a $50 gift card for $40; and enjoy “blind date with a book/bag/box,” holiday gift sets, local vendors, and free cookies. Sale runs 10:00 a.m. though midnight.

At Silver Dawn Books in Grand Forks on Friday, get 75% off all used books from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. (store credit cannot be used). From 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., all used books will be 50% off, plus get two free used books when you buy a new book (store credit can be used).

Other Sale and Shopping Days

The following deals extend beyond Friday and Saturday:

• Big Hill Books: All children’s books are 25% off during the whole month of December in honor of Jólabókaflóð, “the Icelandic tradition when family members exchange new books on Christmas Eve and spend the evening reading together”
• The Book House: All Native American history, immigration, and postcolonial studies books are 20% off during the month of November, and all gift cards and items in the store’s glass case are 20% off through the end of December
• Bookshelves and Coffeecups: Store closing sale continues through December 23: hardcover books $3, large softcover $2, and small paperback books $1
• Chapter2Books: On Artists’ Sunday, November 30, get 15% off creative arts books, gifts, and kits; on Cider Monday, December 1, get free cider and 15% off local and regional titles
• Dana’s Bookstore: 20% off all books in the store continues through November 30
• DreamHaven Books and Comics: On Sunday, November 30, all books originally priced $100 or more (publisher’s price) will be 25% off
• Drury Lane Books: 15% to 20% off storewide continues through Monday, December 1
• Ferguson Books: Continuing through Cyber Monday, mix and match books and gift cards and get 25% two items, 50% three items, or 75% off four items, plus find “huge discounts on books for all ages” and gift card bonuses (in store and online)
• Haven Books: Save 15% off your whole online purchase except gift cards on Sunday and Monday (no code needed)
• Magers and Quinn: Get 20% off your online order with the HARVEST20 on Thanksgiving Day
• Midway Used and Rare Books: 20% off sale on used and rare books, comics, and magazines continues through Sunday
• Paperback Book Palace: 20% off children’s/YA, Christmas/holiday, and historical fiction books continues through Sunday
• Scout and Morgan Books: 20% on all in-stock new and used books (in person) and free shipping (online) continues through Sunday
• Tropes & Trifles: Free shipping and 10% of sales to Our Justice begin November 24; extended Friday hours and gift-wrapping station continues through December 19 (see main listing above for details)
• Valley Bookseller: Free Media Mail shipping for all web orders placed on Cyber Monday, December 1 (does not apply to preorders); buy $100 in gift cards and get $20 in gift cards free continues through December 24
• Zenith Bookstore: Holiday catalog 20% off coupon valid until January 15, 2026

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:

• The Amazing Alonzo (Duluth)
• Big Pine Books, formerly the Willow Bookstore (Perham)
• Black Letter Books (Stillwater)
• Chapter Two (Redwood Falls)
• James and Mary Laurie Booksellers (North Loop, Minneapolis)
• Lundeen’s (Fergus Falls)
• Moon Palace Books (Longfellow, Minneapolis)
• Other Skies Weird Fiction (West St. Paul)
• Rabata Bookshop (Arden Hills)
• Strive Bookstore (downtown Minneapolis)
• Story Line Books (downtown St. Paul)
• Turtle Town Books and Gifts (Nisswa)
• Wildflower Bookshop (Grand Rapids)

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!