The Furry Faces of Bookselling: Volume IV

Indie bookstores across the country are home to a variety of cute and cuddly animals that help foster a sense of warmth and community in-store while also creating a unique destination for customers. On social media, store pets can be an even greater asset, lending pizazz to store announcements, contests, promotions, events, and more. In this fourth volume of “The Furry Faces of Bookselling: Bookstore Pets,” BTW once again scoured social media to highlight another round of the dogs, cats, and other creatures that make bookstores their home and entice customers to stop in.

King's Books in Tacoma, Washington, posted a picture of store cat Herbert on Instagram with the directive: “Write a caption!”

Monkey and Dog Books in Fort Worth, Texas, posted a picture on Instagram of store dog Sophie studying with her young human friend: “A Day in the Life of Sophie, the Bookstore Dog: I love it when my friends let me help with their homework! #bookstoredog #mathtutor #independentbookstore #fwbookstore”

Cupboard Maker Books in Enola, Pennsylvania, posted a photo of store cat Annika on Instagram seated next to an interesting gift: “Thank you @chroniclebooks for sending this. It’s a beautifully illustrated book and we can see Annika agreed. #cats#bookstorecats #catsofinstagram #independentbookstore #indiebookstore”

The Golden Notebook in Woodstock, New York, posted a photo of store dog Delta on Instagram offering some therapeutic book recommendations: “Comfort books recommended by comfort #bookstoredog #microcosmpublishing @microcosm_pub”

San Marco Books and More in Jacksonville, Florida, posted a furrily enhanced event reminder on Twitter: “Albert, aka Kutuzov, is rereading A Gentleman in Moscow to get ready for our Evening With Amor Towles on September 17th. He recommends that you read it too. Book Club is September 10th, if you need to refresh.”

Roebling Point Books & Coffee in Covington, Kentucky, took to Instagram to post a picture of the store’s most unusual resident: “Isn’t Ernesta Hedgingway cute? #newstoremascot.”

Wild Rumpus Books in Minneapolis, Minnesota, posted a pic of the store’s two cats on Instagram in honor of International Cat Day, August 8: “Did someone say #internationalcatday?!!? We absolutely adore our two resident cats: Booker T. and Eartha Kitt. Come say hi!”

Bookish in Fort Smith, Arizona, posted a photo of store cat Barrie on Instagram to promote a contest to win free swag from BookExpo: “Barrie is patiently waiting for pictures and head scratches... Come on in and take a picture shopping around the store for a chance to win a goodie from NYC. Don’t forget to tag us!”

Neighborhood Reads in Washington, Missouri, posted a picture of store dog Benji on Twitter, also in order to promote a contest: “Just 5 more days to enter the #lovethyselfie contest to win! Take a pic with your favorite things in the store — share your selfie with tags! #Doodleselfie #bookstoredog #neighborhoodreads”

That Book Store in Wethersfield, Connecticut, posted a photo of store cat Killian on Twitter: “This is our #bookstorecat Killian. He is so sweet and loves everyone who comes in. Look at him waiting for the customer...”

Bookshop Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, California, posted a remembrance of Walter, their first bookstore cat, on Twitter, also for International Cat Day.

Tall Tales in Atlanta, Georgia, posted a picture of store cat Kit Marlowe on Instagram to celebrate Black Cat Appreciation Day, August 17: “Happy #BlackCatAppreciationDay #Caturday #booksandcats #catsandbooks #catsofInstagram #blackcatsofInstagram #CatsWhoRead #bookstorecats”

Check out Volume I, Volume II, and Volume III of The Furry Faces of Bookselling for more photos of bookstore pets. Booksellers are invited to share stories and photos of their bookstore pets with Bookselling This Week for future coverage.