San Diego Book Crawl is back as indie bookstores thrive in America

How it works: From Saturday through Monday, visit one of 14 participating shops around the city and make a $10 purchase to get a map, passport and your first stamp.

• Collect stamps at each bookstore to earn prizes designed by local artists, including a tote bag, mug, pin, patch and sticker.

Zoom in: Hey Books!, which opened in East Village earlier this month, has joined the crawl.

• Verbatim Books in North Park is the city's largest, Joyride Bookshop in Liberty Station is just for kids, Meet Cute in La Mesa is filled with romance reads, and Mysterious Galaxy's specialty is sci-fi.
• Warwick's in La Jolla is the oldest family-owned and operated bookstore in the country.
• Check out Bay Books Coronado, Bluestocking Books in Hillcrest, The Book Catapult in South Park, Camino Books in Del Mar, La Playa Books in Point Loma, Libélula Books & Co. in Barrio Logan, Library Shop SD at the central library downtown and UC San Diego Bookstore in La Jolla.

The intrigue: Award-winning author Dave Eggers will host signings at different shops throughout the weekend.

The big picture: The industry is thriving as more than 1,200 indie bookstores have opened nationwide in the last five years, according to the American Booksellers Association, whose membership has doubled since 2016.

• "This remarkable growth has been fueled in part by a post-pandemic shift in values," the association's CEO Allison Hill told Axios.
• There's a demand for businesses that "align with people's values, provide a meaningful in-person experience, champion debut and diverse authors, and support community," she said.