Happy Holidays to all yinz, and welcome to the 12 Days of Indies! My name is Joy Givens, and I’m here to make your December merry and bright by highlighting one of Pittsburgh’s fabulous independent bookstores each day, December 1-12. Keep reading to learn all about today’s featured bookstore, and check back daily for new store profiles, fun tidbits, ordering information, and more!
Day 3
On the third day of indies, we are shopping small. Really small. The Tiny Bookstore in Ross Township may be Pittsburgh’s smallest bookstore, but every inch is filled with imagination and inspiration. Owner Lea Bickerton has cleverly and intentionally arranged her store’s 300 square feet to house a polished collection of bestsellers, new titles, bargain books, gifts, toys, and more. Both before and after being recognized as a top national Black-owned business by none other than Oprah Winfrey, the Tiny Bookstore has made a point of supporting indie authors, frequently challenged books, and diverse voices.
The Tiny Bookstore is, in fact, so small that its storefront has remained closed throughout much of 2020, logistically unable to provide the required social distancing for customers. However, the store has quickly expanded its robust online presence. Shopping online at the Tiny Bookstore is a breeze, and the store also hosts high-profile virtual events, such as a recent conversation between Ijeoma Oluo and Pittsburgh native author Damon Young.
Both Bickerton and her husband Bill Bickerton are multitalented. In addition to their successful law careers, they have each showcased unique abilities within the Tiny Bookstore’s four walls—Lea as an exceptionally discerning reader and Bill as a homebrewing expert. Before the pandemic, they hosted a “Books and Brews” event series pairing monthly reads with craft brews, and Bill currently curates a selection of craft beer books and brewing ingredients on the Tiny Bookstore’s website.
If you want to pick up your next reads, holiday gifts, or homebrewing supplies from a fabulously unique local business, then remember that bigger isn’t necessarily better! Sometimes, Tiny is the best of all.
STORE DETAILS
The Tiny Bookstore
1130 Perry Highway Suite 106, Pittsburgh, PA 15237
(412) 585-2651
Current Store Hours: Not open to walk-in customers
https://twitter.com/tinybookspgh
https://www.instagram.com/tinybookspgh/
https://www.facebook.com/tinybookspgh
Joy Givens is a pun-slinging, hymn-singing storyteller and the lucky mother of two small superheroes. She has published several award-winning short stories and writes children’s and YA fiction to celebrate the fresh, fierce, fantastic side of life. Raised in a big Midwestern family, Joy now lives in the blossoming literary community of Pittsburgh, where she is a proud leadership team member of Pennwriters (www.pennwriters.org) and the PA West region of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (www.wpa.scbwi.org).