- How do I tell if a book is in stock?
- What does "Ships to Our Store in 1-5 Days" mean?
- How do I know when my order will be ready for pickup?
- I haven't received my bookmail yet? What do I do?
- How do I create a gift registry?
- How do I purchase gifts from a wish list or registry?
- What is the Support Local Fee?
- What is the Open Agenda project?
- What is the Bookstore Community Fund?
- Update on Savoy Bookshop and Cafe
- Update on Title IX: A Bookstore
How do I tell if a book is in stock?
When you search for a book on our website, you will see a field labeled "Availability". This denotes whether the book is available at one of our locations.
To see which location the book is available, click on the title. This will show the full product information page, where there is a further breakdown of availability.
Please note, our online inventory is not a live inventory. If you are in urgent need of a book, please call the store that you are hoping to pick it up from to reserve your copy.
What does "ships to our store in 1-5 days" mean?
When you order a book that is not on our shelves, we will order it from our wholesaler. Wholesale orders are placed multiple times a week, and on average, these orders take 1 to 5 days to ship to our stores. This means there may be a few days between when you order the book on our website and when we place our next wholesale order. If the book you have ordered is not in stock at the time we are processing your order, we will let you know in the order comments that we have had to place a wholesaler order to get your book.
I selected "in-store pickup", when will my order be ready?
Our booksellers will update you a few times while processing your order via the web order notification system depending on which books and how many you order. The first notification you receive will be confirmation that your order has been received, if any of your books need to be ordered from the wholesaler, or if any of the books you ordered are back-ordered or unavailable. The second notification you will receive is when the order is complete and ready for pick up. If there are multiple books on your order, you will receive the notification once all of your books are ready. If all books are on our shelves at the time we process your order, you will bypass the payment received notification and instead receive a notification that your order is ready for pick up.
I haven't received my books in the mail yet. What do I do?
Each order that we send out via USPS or UPS comes with a tracking number which will be sent directly to your email. Once your package goes out with your selected delivery service, we have no control over what happens to the package. USPS media mail takes on average 2 to 10 days, USPS Priority mail takes on average 1 to 3 days, and UPS ground takes on average 1 to 5 days.
How do I create a gift registry?
Log into your account or create a free account.
On the login page, click the “Wish List” tab
Name your wish list (e.g. Charlotte's Baby Shower)
Fill out your name, the event date, and other personal information
Click “Don’t require shipping” if you want to pick up the gifts from the store. Leave the box unchecked if you want the items to be shipped to you or to the purchaser.
Add items to your wish list. Search for a specific title, or browse children's nonfiction or fiction books. When you get to the item you want, click “Add to Wish List” and it will be added to your registry.
When adding books, please note if we have them in stock already. If we don’t have an item in stock, it might take longer to arrive
Alternatively, you can shop for your wish list in person at our stores, and we can add them to the list for you ourselves. Email events@mysticbooksinc.com and we’ll make an appointment for you to shop with one of our children's booksellers, who are great at recommending their favorite titles.
When you’ve finished your registry, go to the Wish List page again and click “Email Your Wishlist.” Send an email to yourself and copy the link at the bottom of the email. Give that link to your friends and family, and they can purchase books for you!
How do I purchase gifts from a wish list or registry?
If you have the link to the desired wish list, navigate to that page. To search for a wish list by name or email, use the box in the right sidebar of the website.
On the wish list, you can browse a list of books that are available for purchase.
If the book is not available for purchase, it will say "Fulfilled" instead of "Add to Cart."
Select the title you want to purchase, and click Add to Cart. When you are finished making your selections, click Checkout.
Enter your email address, or log in if you already have an account.
Leave the "This is a tax exempt order" button unchecked, unless you are purchasing from a nonprofit account.
If the option is offered, select your pickup or shipping information. (Some wish lists, including those for libraries or other organizations, will have chosen default delivery information, so you will not see this step.)
Enter your billing and contact information.
In the Order Comments field, write the person's name you'd like to dedicate your book to. For example: "In Memory of Emily the Library Cat".
Complete your order. We will call you with any other questions or to let you know when your order is ready. If the order is for a library, we will let you know when the library has received your book.
?What is the Support Local Fee
Thank you so much for supporting our local independent business! Our staff works extremely hard to provide the community with books. Real humans are behind your customer orders and our Support Local Fee goes directly toward our staff to help offset additional costs of running a business such as minimum wage increases.
What is the Open Agenda project?
Open Agenda is Bank Square’s queer little free library if you will; it’s a special section of books that have been pre-purchased for anyone to take home, no questions asked! Open Agenda focuses on LGBTQIA+ titles, but queerness is intersectional, and so are the titles donated.
How it Works:
Available Titles have their barcode covered so they’re not accidentally purchased again, and live in a designated spot in the store. Simply stop by and take one, whenever you need.
How To Give:
Ask our booksellers for suggested titles to donate, or choose one yourself. Simply let your cashier know it’s for Open Agenda OR, if you're ordering online, write in the comment section that this is for Open Agenda and they’ll keep the book to process and place in the library.
How To Get a Book:
Simply head to the decorated box and pick out a title! You don't have to explain to anyone or give a reason, though we're always happy to help you pick!
What If I’m Not Out?
We understand that not everyone wants to or can safely be out in their community or spaces. If you’re looking to take a book home discreetly, just ask one of our staff members and we’ll pick something out for you and bag it up - We can even specifically look to grab you a title that doesn’t look outwardly queer.
What is the Bookstore Community Fund?
The Bookstore Community Fund is a “pay it forward” style program in which customers may either purchase a gift card to add to the fund or use a gift card to purchase a new book at Bank Square Books.
How To Give:
Fill out the form at the bottom of this page. Click "add to cart" and then proceed to checkout. You'll receive a notification when we've processed your order.
Thank you for considering a donation to the Bookstore Community Fund!
How To Get a Gift Card:
If you need financial help purchasing a book, take a gift card from the mural as you come into the store and bring it to the register once you're finished browsing.
Update on Savoy Bookshop and Cafe
Dear Customers,
It is with great sadness that I announce the closure of Savoy Bookshop & Café in Westerly, R.I., effective July 28, 2023.
Savoy Bookshop & Café has been an important part of downtown Westerly for the past seven years. I have watched this town grow and change in ways I could never have anticipated when we first opened. Together with the store’s staff, I have had the privilege of getting to know and serve thousands of customers, many of whom are considered regulars and friends. I am incredibly grateful to each and every one of you for your support through the years, and especially during the pandemic. Your loyalty kept us going.
As many of you will understand, running a small business comes with many challenges. While the managers and staff have met many of those challenges head on, we’ve come to realize that determination does not always guarantee success, no matter how great the effort. After a lengthy review of the business’s finances, I have reached the conclusion that the store is no longer viable. Savoy continues to run a deficit year after year due to thin margins, fierce online competition, and increasing costs on nearly all fronts. These factors have become insurmountable hurdles for this business. It’s a frustrating and unfortunate reality that many independent bookstores face.
Savoy will remain open from July 22nd through July 28th. Hours will be posted on our website and on Savoy’s social media accounts. All store merchandise will be discounted by 20%. Any outstanding customer orders will need to be picked up by July 28th. For the sake of transparency, employees have been given advance notice of the closure and will be given severance pay.
Though it breaks my heart to share this news, the time has come to move on to the next chapter. We understand this news stirs up many emotions and we ask that you please be respectful of staff in the coming days.
Thank you, again, for your support and understanding.
Sincerely,
Annie Philbrick
Update on Title IX: A Bookstore
About Title IX: A Bookstore:
Opened in November of 2020, initially as a part of a citywide pop-up shop initiative, Title IX: A Bookstore is the sibling store to Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT. The community response was so positive that the decision was made to remain in New London, in order to give the city an independent bookstore of its own. Title IX: A Bookstore is named after Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance. The bookstore seeks to serve the diverse community of New London with a specially curated collection of books that focus on investigating, informing, and inspiring social justice.
To our loyal patrons and the New London community —
I write to you today with bittersweet news. After much deliberation, we have made the decision to close our New London location, Title IX: A Bookstore. Title IX’s last day in business will be October 1st, 2023.
We want to thank the community for all of their support over the last three years. We are so proud of what our team was able to accomplish during that time, including the creation of the Bookstore Community Fund. We also would like to thank Steve and Jeanne Sigel for all their support and generosity in this endeavor. We never would have been able to bring Title IX to New London without their support, nor without the support of the City of New London.
We understand that this news is difficult, and will likely come as a disappointment to the community. However, reallocating our resources and efforts into ensuring the long term sustainability of our flagship location, Bank Square Books, and our various community efforts needs to be our priority at this time. Our commitment to New London remains unchanged — we are dedicated to continuing our mission of supporting the community by partnering with schools and other New London based organizations. It is our intention to honor the legacy of Title IX: A Bookstore through the continuation of the Bookstore Community Fund out of Bank Square Books and beyond.
Title IX: A Bookstore was initially opened in November 2020 as a part of a citywide pop-up shop initiative, with the goal to serve the diverse community of New London with a specially curated collection of books that focus on investigating, informing, and inspiring social justice. In 2022, we launched the Bookstore Community Fund is a “pay it forward” style program to make new books more accessible for all. As stated above, although we will be closing our doors in New London, the Bookstore Community Fund will continue.
While this chapter may be coming to an end, we are very much looking forward to the next chapter of bookselling in Southeastern CT. Thank you for your continued support, and we hope to see you sometime soon at Bank Square Books or at a community event.
Sincerely,
Annie Philbrick