March 3: The Snail on the Wall, Huntsville, AL
From Pop-Up to Brick & Mortar: Building a Community of Readers
See the complete schedule and register

The March Madness Bookseller Series will kick off on March 3 at the new permanent location of The Snail on the Wall Bookstore in Huntsville, Alabama. Each week booksellers can find highlights of the programming at each hosting store. Each event begins with a morning presentation by the hosting store on an aspect of the book business they feel they do exceptionally well. The Snail on the Wall, which began as a pop-up store before moving to its new home, will present on their journey: From Pop-Up to Brick & Mortar: Building a Community of Readers. Store owner Lady Smith discusses why she chose that topic and why she wanted to host a MMBS event:

Photos courtesy of The Snail on the Wall

Why did you pick this topic to talk about with your fellow booksellers?

Lady Smith: The Snail on the Wall was a "bookstore without a store" for seven years before we opened a brick-and-mortar in September 2024. In that time, we slowly but surely built a loyal base of customers who felt a sense of community without gathering in a physical space. We have always had to explore and experiment with inventive ways to share books and connect with readers. Our people have come to expect certain programs or events from The Snail. And they have embraced our mascot: The Snail, which is an instantly recognizable symbol of our store around town and online.

We are also proud of the relationships we've built with local organizations, which helped us establish The Snail as part of Huntsville's arts and cultural landscape even when we didn't have a storefront. When we finally got ready to open a permanent location, we had a solid community of readers ready to support us. We are constantly expanding, reshaping, and adapting our programs and events to fit our own community.

What made you want to host a March Madness event?

Lady Smith: We attended our first March Madness last year, at Parnassus Books, and learned so much — not just from the Parnassus team, but also from the other booksellers we met and networked with. And we are proud of our brand-new bookstore in downtown Huntsville, which just opened a few months ago. We want to show off our new space and introduce booksellers to our vibrant city if they haven't visited before.

See the complete schedule and register