Kids who loved the Scholastic Book Fair are flocking to grown-up versions of the events

“Omigosh,” they often begin, talking about the Scholastic Book Fairs of their youth.

As kids, they would pore over the catalog, circling covers. They would save up their allowance. They would buy books, sure, but also bookmarks, stickers or a diary with a padlock.

Then, decades later, they would try to re-create that feeling.

“Nostalgia,” said Rachel Silberman, the event and marketing coordinator for Inbound BrewCo, explaining why, on Jan. 11, she’ll host a Book Fair for Adults at the Minneapolis brewery. The 35-year-old couldn’t use the word “Scholastic” in the event’s title, “because copyright,” but people got the message.

More than 13,000 of them have clicked “interested” on the Facebook event she created. “I have never seen a response like this before,” Silberman said.

The fair, which will feature books from eight bookstores and bookish goodies from seven crafters, is part of a wave of events catering to millennials and Gen Xers who remember well the youthful excitement surrounding the Scholastic Book Fairs of their childhood.

Now, with beer.

A similar event in Milwaukee last September sold out. In January, the third annual Wisconsin Grown-Up Book Fair, held in Madison, will span two days. Pearl Street Books in La Crosse, Wis., has been holding adult book fairs quarterly.

Its first, in 2023, packed the nearby Root Note coffee shop with people new to both the bookstore and the cafe. “We sold, like, $2,000 worth of books in the first hour,” said Pearl Street owner Beth Hartung,“which for a small, independent bookstore is just crazy.”

She suspects that coming out of the pandemic, “people were hungry for community.” Hosting the fair at the coffee shop, with specialty cocktails, added to the fun.

Each fair has a theme. December’s had a loose “hunkering down” theme, with poetry, cozy mysteries and books related to the solstice. There was mulled wine and dimmed lights. February’s titles will revolve around romance.

The bookstore brings both new and used books, to keep prices affordable.

Minneapolis’ upcoming book fair grew from a conversation Silberman had with Katie Flynn, owner of the Geek Boutique. Doomscrolling on TikTok, Flynn came across a video of a book fair for adults.

“Omigod,” she said, “it’s everything I love in one event ... beer and books, there can be no greater combo.” The 40-year-old told Silberman, a fellow book lover: “You need to do this.” Silberman agreed. “She made my dreams come true.”

As a kid examining the book fair catalog, Flynn coveted “everything, honestly, that wasn’t a book.” The posters, the sticker packs. Her parents would give her “a whopping $10 to spend,” but “back in the day, you could get a lot of merch for $10.”

At the January event, the Geek Boutique will sling vintage, upcycled flannels with book art on the back. Tumblers inspired by titles such as “Fourth Wing” and “A Court of Thorns and Roses.” And stickers and keychains with the phrase, “Chasing that Scholastic Book Fair high.”

Bookstores will bring their specialties. Tropes and Trifles will sell romance; Niche Books will peddle nonfiction and literary nonfiction; Once Upon a Crime will offer mystery and crime.

Kids are welcome, but this event, unlike its inspiration, caters to adults, Silberman said. There will be more tote bags than bookmarks, more candles than pencils.

“I don’t think kids like candles,” she said, chuckling. “I’m not sure, though. I don’t think that’s what they want for their birthday.”

What: Book fair with eight bookstores and seven merch vendors, plus beer.

When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 11.

Where: Inbound BrewCo, 701 N. 5th St., Mpls.

More info: https://inboundbrew.co/