New Jersey bookstore crawl returns bigger with 3-day event

📚 More than 70 independent bookstores are taking part in a statewide crawl from Friday through Sunday.

➡️ Organizers say last year's event generated roughly 4,000 store visits from about 1,000 participants.

⭐ This year's crawl adds a third day and includes tools to help readers plan a route.

More than 70 independent book stores across the state are participating in the second-ever New Jersey bookstore crawl this Friday to Sunday.

“Last year’s response was wild,” New Jersey Bookstore Crawl organizer Kerri Sullivan said in an interview with New Jersey 101.5.

With just over 50 stores participating in June 2025, at least 4,000 bookstore visits were logged by about a thousand participants, online registration shows.

As for store owners, many saw their busiest two days of sales, rivaling holidays. And the customers who turned out were excited, curious, and social with other shoppers, Sullivan said.

After a strong debut, the New Jersey Bookstore Crawl expands

Due to the passionate turnout and positive store feedback, the crawl now runs Friday through Sunday, adding a third day.

Sullivan said as a public librarian and author, she personally cares a lot about books and was inspired by similar events in cities, like Philadelphia, Austin and Indianapolis.

Thanks to New Jersey’s unique geography, being a small but densely populated state, it’s not difficult to visit a few stores without having to go too far, she added.

Planning your New Jersey bookstore crawl route

For anyone planning to check out this year’s NJ bookstore crawl, the website is a very handy resource — showing the participating stores on a map, and grouping them by multiple features.

They are listed by special events for the weekend, which locations have more used or rare books, or a children’s section, special interest and alphabetically.

There is also information about parking, restroom availability, accessibility for mobility aid users, staff picks, and neighboring businesses.

Sullivan suggests you can either stay close to home — or take the opportunity of the bookstore crawl to visit a town or county you’ve been wanting to explore.

(I personally am creating a Google Map of my top options and routing a trip that way — considering snack and lunch stops, too).

After the crawl weekend, the feedback form will be live, via the NJ bookstore crawl website — filling it out will enter each participant in a drawing for a possible giveaway.

Here is the list of stores by county, taking part in the NJ Bookstore Crawl:

Bergen County (5 stores)

▪️Bookends
▪️Books & Greetings
▪️The Curious Reader
▪️Dear Reader
▪️Soldato Books & Records

Burlington County (5 stores)

▪️Austen’s Shelf
▪️The Novel Realm
▪️Old Bookshop of Bordentown
▪️Romantasy Bookstore (Lumberton)
▪️Second Time Books

Camden County (3 stores)

▪️Inkwood Books
▪️Kiss & Tale
▪️Ren’s Coffeehouse & Books

Cape May County‍ ‍(3 stores)

▪️Barrier Island Books and Art (Stone Harbor)
▪️Barrier Island Books and Art (West Cape May)
▪️Ink & Ivy

Essex County (6 stores)

▪️The Book House (Millburn)
▪️The Collective Bookstore
▪️Montclair Book Center
▪️Source of Knowledge
▪️Watchung Booksellers
▪️[words] Bookstore

Gloucester County (2 stores)

▪️Romantasy Bookstore (Turnersville)
▪️Words Matter Bookstore

Hudson County (5 stores)

▪️Dungeon Books
▪️The Little Boho Bookshop
▪️Little City Books
▪️Symposia Bookstore
▪️WORD Bookstore‍ ‍

Hunterdon County (6 stores)

▪️Act 2 Books
▪️Charmed & Bound
▪️Frenchtown Bookshop
▪️Howling Basset Books
▪️Panoply Books
▪️Read Mill Books

Mercer County‍ (4 stores)

▪️The Bear & The Books
▪️Book Trader of Hamilton
▪️the Cloak and Dagger
▪️Labyrinth Books

Morris County (7 sites)

▪️Book Barn
▪️Chapter One
▪️The Chatham Bookseller
▪️Gingerbread Bookshop
▪️The Nature of Reading
▪️New Wineskin Emporium
▪️Next Chapter‍ ‍

Ocean County (7 sites)

▪️Between the Covers Co.
▪️Bookmarked
▪️Bound & Bewitched
▪️The Dune Market
▪️LBI Book Swap
▪️The Little Point Bookshop
▪️Lovelit Bookstore‍ ‍

Salem County‍ ‍(1 store)

▪️Barney Loves Books

Somerset County (2 stores)

▪️Bookworm
▪️Monty and Milo

Sussex County (3 stores)

▪️Black Dog Books
▪️Broad Street Books
▪️Sparta Books‍ ‍

Union County (4 stores)

▪️Cindelle’s Bookstore
▪️The Cranford Bookstore
▪️Here’s the Story
▪️The Town Book Store

Warren County (1 store)

▪️Belvidere Books & Cafe

Check out these 10 unique NJ bookstore gems

Having a tough time finding a good book worth your time? Luckily, New Jersey has a great selection of local, independent bookstores, each offering something unique.

Gallery Credit: Jen Ursillo

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