Booksellers Show Off Creativity in Holiday Window Displays

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version

Festive window displays for the holiday season have been a tradition among booksellers and other retailers for more than a century. While in days gone by, shoppers had to stroll in person to enjoy the view, booksellers today can share their artistic efforts with customers on social media and on their websites. Here, Bookselling This Week shares a few of the seasonal window displays of ABA members. 

Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café, Asheville, North Carolina: “The inspiration came from our owner, Emoke B’Racz, who wanted something that had a fantasy-bookstore-holiday (but not TOO holiday-y) feel. It seems to have worked, representing our mountain home and love of huge stacks of books,” said bookseller Hannah Richardson, who created the artwork.

Booksy Galore, Pound Ridge, New York: A posting on the store’s Facebook page thanked local florist Nehapwa Design for its window design: “When you ask Tom @nehapwadesign to help dress the window at 4 pm on a busy night and you come in at 10 am the next morning to a winter wonderland!!!”

The Vermont Book Shop, Middlebury, Vermont: “Our window theme is Winter Cardinals,” Jenny Lyons, sales and marketing manager, said. “An amazing local paper artist does a new window for us every month. Her name is Sarah Pope, and she creates original art for each window, including these amazing woodcut block prints of cardinals.”

Burke’s Book Store, Memphis, Tennessee: Businesses in the city’s Cooper Young Historic District light up their windows for the annual “Unwrapped” contest hosted by the Cooper Young Business Association that includes an evening of carols and Santa strolling.

Astoria Bookshop, Astoria, Queens: Sharing on Instagram with the hashtags #booktree, #bookart, and #booksculpture, the store showed off its own contribution to the category. Lexi Beach, co-owner of the bookstore, said she found a way to make use of damaged stock by creating a book tree.

Once Upon A Storybook, Tustin, California: Store founder Susie Alexander said the window combines both Christmas and Hanukkah, noting: “My manager, Tina, does all of our windows and displays — she is amazing!”

The Golden Notebook, Woodstock, New York: The bookstore won first place in the Woodstock Open House Window Display Contest of 2017. Co-owners Jacqueline Kellachan and James Conrad tapped their friend Lucia Reale-Vogt to create their displays. Reale-Vogt, an artist, crafter, and baker, created the “Let it Snow” tableau with old books, sheet music, and metallic paper.

Bloomsbury Books, Ashland, Oregon: “Our stockings are hung in our window with care! Our holiday displays are bursting with great books for everyone on your list,” the store wrote on Instagram.

Black Bird Bookstore, San Francisco, California: “Wintry snow flowers float around a holiday wreath in the front window at Black Bird Bookstore,” said owner Kathryn Grantham.

Card Carrying Books & Gifts, Corning, New York: Co-owner Sarah Blagg said she wanted to harken to Card Carrying’s identity as a feminist bookstore while making a play on words. “We thought it would be fun to be a little tongue-in-cheek this holiday season,” she said.