Bluestocking Bookshop gives back to educators through Holiday Bookshelf program

HOLLAND — Bluestocking Bookshop in Holland has announced its Holiday Bookshelf program, a two-part structured book drive to support classroom libraries for educators in Ottawa County.

Educators have until Oct. 31 to submit a wishlist of up to 10 books their students would like. Bluestocking Bookshop, 12330 James St., will print tags for those requests and place them on a tree inside the store. Community members can then purchase those books for the classrooms. The items will be wrapped and delivered to teachers on Dec. 18 during a Holiday Bookshelf event.

When the shop reopens for Small Business Saturday, any remaining unpurchased books on the wishlists will already be wrapped and available for purchase in person. Community members who wish to support the program online can view and purchase items through Bookshop.org.

Aimee Chipman, owner of Bluestocking Bookshop, told Ottawa News Network that 25 educators have submitted wishlists so far.

“We really liked the thought of inviting the community to help support the things that we care about,” Chipman said. “The goal was to make the season feel more attainable [and] accessible — that no matter where you are, you can help somebody else.”

The overarching goal of the Holiday Bookshelf program is to support local educators navigating budget constraints, school board conflicts, book bans and other challenges. Teachers can sign up on the Bluestocking Bookshop website.

Bluestocking Bookshop also supports education year-round through several other programs:

Educator Fund

The Educator Fund provides teachers with up to $20 in book credit per visit, subject to store credit rules. The program is funded by community members who donate their trade-in credits rather than taking store credit. Educators also receive 10% off all in-store purchases. Teachers can sign up at the store.

Reading challenges

Each year, Bluestocking Bookshop hosts a reading challenge for educators and patrons. Although 2026 is drawing to a close, participants can still join the 2026 Bluestocking Bookshop Reading Challenge: "26 for 2026: An Alphabet Reading Challenge."

Participants aim to read a book for each letter of the alphabet, with the first meaningful word of the title matching the designated letter. Bonus options are available for challenging letters such as Q, X or Z. Details on a "hard mode" version and prize descriptions are available on the bookstore's website.

While official rules for next year have not been finalized, Chipman told ONN that the 2027 theme will be "March Madness." Updates will be posted on the shop's Facebook and Instagram pages.

OOTL grant partner

For the past five years, Bluestocking Bookshop has partnered with Out on the Lakeshore, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates an LGBTQ+ community center, to offer a grant for local educators.

Applications open in June. Teachers selected for the grant receive monthly boxes throughout the school year containing books curated specifically for their grade level. Teachers may share additional information about their classrooms; boxes frequently feature diverse and inclusive stories.

Wishlists, registries

Wishlists and registries are standard features for Bluestocking Bookshop customer accounts. When used books are processed into store inventory, the system alerts staff if an item matches an educator’s wishlist, helping teachers acquire books at a discount.

Gift card drawings

For every $10 a customer spends, 5 cents is donated to the shop's educator fund. Once a month, the store draws the name of an educator who shopped that month to win a gift card.

Depending on the month, prizes include gift cards to local coffee shops or teacher supply stores. For October, these funds will go toward purchasing additional books for the Holiday Bookshelf program.

For more information, visit the Bluestocking Bookshop website.

— Mallory Burt is a reporter for Ottawa News Network. Contact her at newsroom@ottawanewsnetwork.org.