McKay's bookstore offers big rewards for big road trip

McKay's, the used bookstore and music shop, is celebrating its 50th anniversary by offering fans up to $800 in store credit, plus other swag.

Yes, but: To collect all of the possible gifties, McKay's enthusiasts must embark on a road trip that spans each of its five stores during a single day of business on July 9. The promotion is called the Ultimate McKay's Road Trip .

The intrigue: McKay's has shops in Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville plus two North Carolina locations in Winston-Salem and Mebane.

• We did the math. Beginning at the Nashville location and depending on traffic, the journey would take approximately 9 hours and 45 minutes. Add an hour for the time change to the Eastern time zone.
• The stores will be open for 14 hours that day.

The big picture: While independent bookstores struggle to stay afloat, McKay's has stood the test of time and become an institution.

• The warehouse-sized store in Nashville's Bellevue neighborhood offers affordable books, records, video games and other media at prices well below what a shopper would find on Amazon.

💭 Nate's thought bubble: Before streaming put every movie at my fingertips, a visit to McKay's for a random DVD was a regular occurrence.

• We also use the store for books for our kids, including some required reading for our middle schooler's English class this year.

How it works: Customers must visit each of the five shops on July 9, which will be open from 8am to 10 pm that day. Participants must be at least 18.

• At the first shop, customers will receive a McKay's passport to be stamped at each location. The second shop will give away a free t-shirt. Then we get to the big bucks.
• The third shop you visit will give away $50 in McKay's store credit plus a travel mug and snack pack. The fourth store gives $250 in credit plus a commemorative poster.

At the fifth store, customers will receive a whopping $500 in credit.

🙏 A public note to Axios Nashville editor Jen Ashley: Nate suggests a buddy road trip where he and Adam give the Ultimate McKay's Road Trip a go and chronicle all of the wackiness that ensues for our readers.