Independent College Bookstore Association (ICBA)

Independent College Bookstore Association (ICBA) Independent College Bookstore Association exists to help institutional stores like yours. Our members are our owners.

Since our inception in 1927, Independent College Bookstore Association (ICBA) has been focused exclusively on serving and supporting institutionally-affiliated college stores. Collegiate retailing is a dynamic and exciting retail channel focused on serving three main communities: students expecting the highest level of services and integrity, faculty with needs as diverse as their disciplines and

administrators who rely on successful operations to support growing needs. To be a successful collegiate retailer requires pride, passion, commitment, resources and innovation. It is our mission to provide you with the programs and services that will establish your institutional store as the preferred management solution for your institution. ICBA will guide you to:
~ Improve your bottom line with unsurpassed buying programs & resources
~ Stay ahead of change with strongest solution-oriented education & professional development
~ Gain competitive insights through exclusive institutional store sharing, networking, resources and services
~ Improve your vendor relations through ICBA Programs & Resources, Business Encounter and PRIMEtime Buyer & Vendor Exchange
~ Maintain a decision-making voice & pride of ownership.

Congrats to Texas, Alabama, & Tennessee, still alive in the D1 Women’s College World Series (as of this writing!!) as we...
06/01/2026

Congrats to Texas, Alabama, & Tennessee, still alive in the D1 Women’s College World Series (as of this writing!!) as well as to UCLA and Simpson College for their respective, unfortunately finished, runs into their division WCWS. Every year, **awesome contingents of ICBA Member Store schools** fight like heck in the softball championship season, well done!! Iiiiiiiiiiiif the Longhorns get past the Lady Vols, it’ll be 3 years in a row into the title series…and perhaps a championship repeat.

So we think it’s a great morning read….or any time of day read! Catch it all up on important ICBA happenings in Networki...
05/17/2026

So we think it’s a great morning read….or any time of day read! Catch it all up on important ICBA happenings in Networking, Education, Vendor Programs, and Perspective--May’s Independent Newsletter from ICBA kicks off with an important update from Jon on the “Big 3” Member Support Initiatives this spring; it also has many newsworthy and advantageous Vendor Updates to check out as well as great Member and Marketing Resources to explore. And, we've got upcoming events including a special AI webinar on course materials and our exciting summer round of Networking Calls for Members! Check it out!

https://mailchi.mp/icbainc.com/the-independent-may2026-9193570

We love !Right on, read on, think on, indie on!
04/25/2026

We love !

Right on, read on, think on, indie on!

This month’s issue of The Independent is bulging with resources! It kicks off with a guest column by ICBA’s VP of Progra...
04/10/2026

This month’s issue of The Independent is bulging with resources! It kicks off with a guest column by ICBA’s VP of Programs & Services Denise Walsh laying out how the ICBA Vendor Team goes about uncovering, thoroughly vetting, and setting up Annual Vendor Partner Programs that will be of high and valuable benefit to ICBA Members—give it a read! 🤩👋👋

We also have even more peer Member-driven AI content worth sharing—ICBA’s video library on successful AI usage now has 7 VIDEOS, all with directly offered peer examples or how-to info…the two newest videos feature Cal Baptist’s and Commonwealth University of Bloomsburg’s uses as highlighted by them onstage as part of the ICBA 2026 Jim Williams Innovators session.

We also welcome the stores of University of Toronto and Dickinson State University as NEW Members, along with several NEW AVPs…and upcoming events noted in the newsletter are GREAT for NEW Buyers!

Thanks for reading, have fun!!
https://mailchi.mp/2f7c5e0b6d34/the-independent-issue-april2026-website

Some awesome Final Four games 🏀🏀🏀tip off this weekend featuring ICBA Member Institution Teams!! And congrats to DII Wome...
04/02/2026

Some awesome Final Four games 🏀🏀🏀tip off this weekend featuring ICBA Member Institution Teams!! And congrats to DII Women's National Champions Grand Valley State University!! This much is clear---there are powerhouses at all levels of Women's & Men's Hoops among ICBA Member Store Institutions, YEA! 😎😎🔥

Lots of well-wishing to do here for ICBA Member Stores’ Teams who are in the running for their respective NCAA National ...
03/17/2026

Lots of well-wishing to do here for ICBA Member Stores’ Teams who are in the running for their respective NCAA National Basketball Championships!! From DI to DIII, in both men’s and women’s hoops, these many squads are all bucket-getters and they like to go big dancin’! Congrats to all and good luck, good health, & good vibes as we go deep into March Madness!    

 

Lots of well-wishing to do here for ICBA Member Stores’ Teams who are in the running for their respective NCAA National ...
03/17/2026

Lots of well-wishing to do here for ICBA Member Stores’ Teams who are in the running for their respective NCAA National Basketball Championships!! 💯💯💯😎From DI to DIII, in both men’s and women’s hoops, these many squads are all bucket-getters and they like to go big dancin’!! Congrats to all and good luck, good health, & good vibes as we go deep into March Madness!🔥🏀🏀🏀

We know The Independent can get lengthy sometimes, but it’s because we think there’s so much worth sharing – and of valu...
03/13/2026

We know The Independent can get lengthy sometimes, but it’s because we think there’s so much worth sharing – and of value in helping create success for the ICBA Community!! In this issue, we discussed the plethora of valuable content shared at ICBA 2026 in keynotes & general sessions—now available as video recordings free of charge for all Member Stores! (for access questions on these or anything in the newsletter version linked here, reach out to Office[at]iCBAinc.com.) We also noted important upcoming professional development opportunities: the ICBA Women’s Leadership Roundtable celebrating Women’s History Month & our upcoming ICBA Online Institute on Organizational Success, a multi-webinar series that will start in April! In Marketing Resources, several articles pointed to trends & opportunities in analog lifestyle, from crafting to journaling and gifting. And this month, we had so many amazing Vendor Updates to share along with new AVP Best Seller product lists and announcements for brand new Annual Vendor Partners!
Check it out: https://mailchi.mp/icbainc.com/the-independent-issue-mar2026web

What a ton of fun at our ICBA Member Reception at CAMEX in Phoenix, where about a hundred people attended! We had a good...
03/02/2026

What a ton of fun at our ICBA Member Reception at CAMEX in Phoenix, where about a hundred people attended! We had a good number of first-timers and community colleges, along with plenty of regulars and lots of great food--from the chicken and spinach dip to the Korean BBQ wing and mac and cheese! We appreciate CAMEX and NACS, from the nice opening festivities to the education to meeting new indie college stores at our booth. It makes us happy to see great networking at the booth, around the show, and at our ICBA Member Reception. And loved seeing our friends from the Lope Shop and touring the store!! Thanks to everyone who visited the reception and our booth—and big thanks to our Reception Co-sponsors TOPS Products and VitalSource!

ICBA's first ever pre-Conference Workshop is in the books! Designed as a short, starter course on the basics of business...
02/13/2026

ICBA's first ever pre-Conference Workshop is in the books! Designed as a short, starter course on the basics of business financials, the workshop entitled "Income and Margin and Shrink: Oh My!" explored 101 level concepts of retail math, financial formulas, and more. Led by industry experts Julie Banks (U. of Dayton) and Shruti Shah, CPA (U. of Washington), students of this half-day event engaged in hands-on activities, real world scenarios, and gained practical and actionable insights into the key analytics of their college retail business.

Address

29 E. Madison Street , #420
Chicago, IL
60602

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm

Telephone

(312)7675500

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