The Ivy Bookshop

5928 Falls Road, Baltimore, 410-377-2966, theivybookshop.com

Nearly a quarter of a century after publishing experts were predicting that retail giant Amazon.com would cause the death of brick-and-mortar, independent bookstores, Emma Snyder is proving the pundits wrong.

“We’re the strongest that we’ve ever been,” said Snyder, who owns The Ivy Bookshop and its sister site, Bird in Hand Cafe & Bookstore.

“We had over 300 events last year, with authors like Lorrie Moore and Alice McDermott. An evening with Ann Patchett and R. Eric Thomas had an audience of more than a thousand people. And, we just started a new monthly children’s event series.”

The Ivy’s success is especially impressive given that Snyder’s staff was poised to begin renovating a new store with three levels, a covered back patio and three acres of gardens just before the COVID-19 pandemic descended on Maryland.

“Building permits were issued in late February of 2020,” Snyder said. “For a number of years, everything was so uncertain. We spent a lot of time just managing that transition.”

Nonetheless, The Ivy relocated to its new space eight months later, though temporarily the story was open just for private browsing.

Next up: Snyder plans to open a 700-foot-square reading room and community space ideal for book club meetings and other small, intimate events in 2025.

She’s also established close partnerships with local organizations from the Whitehall Mill to Baltimore Poets Theatre. And she’s encouraging her customers to use the stores in creative ways, from sponsoring $6 cocktails on Saturday nights at Bird in Hand to lawn games in The Ivy’s gardens.

“The role that best suits us is exploring in as many ways and spaces as possible the vibrancy that books can bring to our community,” Snyder said.

“What we’re doing is advocating for books in the world. That is our mission and our ethos. And there’s no upper limit on that.”

— Mary Carole McCauley

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The Wine Source

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Coppermine

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ATA Martial Arts Maryland

U.S. Taekwondo Academy

Equilibrium (tie)

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Maryland produced pre-roll

SunMed 0.5g Pre-Roll 2-Pack

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Curio Wellness

Evermore Cannabis Company

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Evermore Cannabis Company

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Savers Goodwill 2nd Ave Thrift Store

Yoga studio

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Category honorable mentions

Braiding: Queen Aisha African Hair Braiding

Cannabis grower: SunMed Growers

Maryland-made shatter/wax: SunMed Golden Pineapple Live Resin Batter

Editor’s note: Winners and honorable mentions were determined by popular vote. Readers were invited to nominate and vote online from April to June. The ballot and results are generated solely by readers’ votes. The Baltimore Sun does not take responsibility for the services offered or advertised by those listed.