Bookstores under the Big Sky: the Montana Bookstore Trail

Start your summer reading off right by going to one of the independently owned bookstores on the Montana Bookstore Trail.

“Montana is actually the home of more independent bookstores…per capita per any state in the union,” said Tina Freeman, a worker at Latigo & Lace in Augusta (122 Main Street).

If you are a bookworm and want to travel across Montana and engage in the various communities, you should take a Bookstores Under the Big Sky passport for the journey. Travel to small towns and shop at the independently owned stores along the way.

“Anything that inspires people to get out and shop locally is important,” Freeman said, “More of that money, of course, stays in the community.”

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I started my journey in Great Falls, where I picked up a passport and headed to Cassiopeia Books in Great Falls (606 Central Avenue).

“We're trying to bring awareness to independent bookstores around the state,” said Ciara Ashcraft, manager of Cassiopeia Books. “Showcase their individuality”.

Cassiopeia Books is the only independently owned bookstore in Great Falls, and they work hard to be a part of the community they are in.

“Bookstores like this are like the lifeblood of the community, right?” Ashcraft said. “They're a representation of the town that they live in and its personality.”

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I got my passport stamped and then it was off to Augusta, where I found Latigo & Lace.

“80%, maybe 85% of everything we carry here is made in Montana,” Freeman said.

Latigo & Lace is considered a “Book Nook” on the passport, meaning books are only one of the many types of things they offer. It’s an opportunity to get out and see for yourself what makes small town Montana so special.

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“A woman who was visiting Townsend last year, once she learned about the Book Trail, she extended her stay and rented a car and took off to try to get to as many bookstores as she could,” Freeman said. “And her plan was to buy at least three books from each store that she visited.”

Support businesses in the state, find some new books to read, and don't forget to get your passport stamped.

On the passport you can enter to win a free book raffle that comes with merchandise from an independent store of your choosing.

More information, including a full list of stores participating in the Book Trail, can be found by clicking here .

Montana Bookstore Trail