Bards Alley Celebrates First Anniversary In Vienna

Bards Alley, an independent bookstore in Vienna, is celebrating its first anniversary with activities for the public.

All are invited to Bards Alley’s first anniversary celebration on Sunday, July 15 from noon to 5 p.m. Activities will include book giveaways, face painting, wand-making, live music and new t-shirts.

"We’ve had a rewarding first year,” said Bards Alley owner Jen Morrow. "As we close the chapter on our first year, I want us to take a moment to celebrate each other and the community around books that we’ve built together."

Here are the activities planned:

• From 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., Bards Alley will hand out coupons to customers for a free Rita’s ice from Rita’s of Vienna (valid on July 15 only), and offer face painting.
• From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., residents of all ages are welcome to decorate their own Harry Potter wand. The store will provide the materials.
• Starting at 3 p.m., local musicians will provide live music. Bards Alley will also unveil its new branded t-shirts, which will be available for purchase on Sunday, as well as give away advance reader galleys throughout the day.

Bards Alley carries around 5,000 titles in genres from new fiction, literary classics, nonfiction, biographies to young adult literature and children’s books. The bookstore offers a cafe with a rotating selection of wine and craft beer accompanied by locally made bread, cheese, soup, and charcuterie.

Bards Alley frequently hosts author readings, storytimes, writing workshops and other events. The store hosts in-store book clubs for contemporary fiction, science fiction, historical fiction, middle reader (parent-child), men, and “badass” women. The store is also available for private book clubs for up to eight private club members with food and drinks from the cafe.

The store is located at 110 Church St. NW. Store hours are 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information about Bards Alley events and book clubs, visit: www.bardsalley.com.

Image via Bards Alley