The soil is growing rich for Tampa Bay’s bookworms, with an increasingly eclectic collection of independent bookshops. This summer, St. Petersburg gets its fifth indie bookstore, Pages and Perks. Not to mention several other new and upcoming shops in Ybor City and New Port Richey.
With a primary emphasis on fiction, Pages and Perks will offer a wide variety of genres, from children’s literature to adult romance; joining the ranks of romance-focused Steamy Lit in Tampa and its recently opened St. Pete neighbor, romance- and fantasy-centered The Book Lounge.
Store owners Kate and Ben Johnson said in a press release that, in an increasingly digital world, “the ability to sit down with a book and escape with us for a little while is a much-needed break.”
As for the ‘Perks’, the shop will offer a bar area with selections of local wine, beer, and sober-friendly mocktails, as well as a family-friendly atmosphere where kids are welcome to read and roam. St. Pete locals and parents themselves, the Johnsons want to offer their community “a place to learn, explore and expand their horizons through the magic of story.”
Pages and Perks will pop up at markets around Tampa Bay until its shop opens this summer in a restored 1925 building on Martin Luther King Jr. St, between Roser Park and Campbell Park neighborhoods. The space will be open to the public for the first time on Saturday, during the Roser Park Tour of Homes. For updates and more information, visit pagesandperks.com.
Look below for more bookish events across Tampa Bay between March 19-April 4.
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Poetry at the Bookstore with Asa Drake, Erin L. McCoy, & Helen Pruitt Wallace Thursday, March 19. 7 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg
Friends of the Safety Harbor Library Book Sale Friday & Saturday, March 20 & 21. 11 a.m. Friday; 10 a.m. Saturday. No cover. Safety Harbor Public Library, Safety Harbor
‘Lion of Fire’ Book Signing with St. Pete Author Brittany Ranew Saturday, March 21. 12 p.m. No cover. The Book Lounge, St. Petersburg
‘Fhear’s Fury’ Book Release Celebration with Ligia Cushman Saturday, March 21. 7 p.m. $24.99. Steamy Lit, Tampa.
Page to Picture Book + Cinema Club: ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ + ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ Sunday, March 22. 3 p.m. $32.90. Green Light Cinema, St. Petersburg
‘Reality in Ruins’: Author Talk with Dr. Jared Stacy Sunday, March 22. 3:30 p.m. $6.71. Oxford Exchange, Tampa
Cover To Cover Book Fair Wednesday, March 25. 5:30 p.m. No cover. Water Street Tampa, Tampa
‘Whidbey’: An Evening with T Kira Madden Thursday, March 26. 7 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg
‘Loose Ends, A Cigar City Thriller’: A Talk with Tampa Bay Author Chris Kneer Sunday, March 29. 3:30 p.m. $6.71. Oxford Exchange, Tampa
‘Wonders of Shadow Key’: Kids’ Writing Workshop with USF Professor JJ Fleming Tuesday, March 31. 6:30 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg
‘The Other Side of the Garden’: Sili Recio and Elena Djome Lawrence Wednesday, April 1. 7 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg
‘Capitana’: A Talk with Orlando Author Cassandra James Saturday, April 4. 3:30 p.m. $6.71. Oxford Exchange, Tampa
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This article appears in Mar. 12 – 18, 2026.