We are a regional nonprofit trade association established in 1981 to promote retail bookselling and support independent booksellers throughout our region. Our members include locally owned and operated independent bookstores; book publishers, distributors, reps, and vendors who do business with our bookstores; and other individuals and businesses allied to the book industry, such as media, librarians, and teachers. With over 225 members, including nearly 200 booksellers, we represent a substantial portion of the region. Our member states include Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Additional member stores are in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
We are governed by a seven-member board of directors that includes five booksellers and two representatives from the publishing community. Board members serve three-year terms, while our four officers (president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary) serve two-year terms. Our paid staff includes an Executive Director and an Assistant Director.
Carrie Obry, Executive Director, carrie@midwestbooksellers.org
I’ve had a love affair with books my entire life. In grade school, my favorite time of day was SQUIRT, otherwise known as Super Quiet Uninterrupted Independent Reading Time. In college, I studied literature and creative writing at a small school in Wisconsin, then headed to the big city to get a master’s degree in literary theory from New York University. While there, I began my career in the publishing industry, working as a copyeditor and acquisitions editor as I moved to Chicago and then Minneapolis working for independent publishers. I couldn’t be happier in my role directing MIBA. I believe independent bookstores are that “great good place” (to quote Ray Oldenburg), essential to creating vibrant communities and sustaining literary culture. I live in Minneapolis with a bibliophile named Brian, two cats, and a house full of books.
Midwest Independent Booksellers Association
2355 Louisiana Avenue North, Suite A
Golden Valley, MN 55427
Phone: (763) 544-2993
Toll Free: (800) 784-7522
Fax: (763) 544-2266
info@midwestbooksellers.org
