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.

Our Board President’s Message edition of The Independent Newsletter—every August—never disappoints! Some great thoughts ...
08/18/2026

Our Board President’s Message edition of The Independent Newsletter—every August—never disappoints! Some great thoughts about ICBA milestones, the ICBA Board, and our Community’s collaborative path forward in independent college retail from Lee Ann—thank you, Lee Ann! The August newsletter is also stuffed with exciting Vendor Updates, stats and insights in Marketing Resources, and several new work opportunities at ICBA Member Stores. All this and more—check it out!

https://mailchi.mp/icbainc/the-independent-issue-august26f

Our July issue of The Independent is STOCKED with resources! In Jon’s letter, he details exactly how to find valuable in...
07/22/2026

Our July issue of The Independent is STOCKED with resources! In Jon’s letter, he details exactly how to find valuable info on the ICBA website and via logging in and checking out the Member Dashboard (the issue emailed directly to Members has functional links as well as links for all the detailed AVP info!). We also tell you about our brand new ICBA Store Markdown Guide and we provide several data & analysis charts on the state of retail to help you strategize around these signals. As always, we’ve got several exciting Annual Vendor Partner Updates and more—check it out!
https://mailchi.mp/icbainc/the-independent-issue-july2026-website

While it wasn’t how we’d have drawn up a desired Championship Series for DI Baseball—there’s a lot to be proud about wit...
06/22/2026

While it wasn’t how we’d have drawn up a desired Championship Series for DI Baseball—there’s a lot to be proud about within the ICBA Membership when it comes to the NCAA College Baseball World Series ACROSS DI, II, & III. These lucky AND *GOOD* few Member Store Institutions had their teams make it into their respective World Series—with *Denison winning it all in DIII*, so congrats to the champs!! Coast to coast, in various sports and leagues, ICBA Member Store Institution teams are no strangers to competing for championships. 🏆🏆🏆Love it!

ICYMI—The June issue of The Independent, in a nutshell, revolves around tremendous opportunity…especially, as Jon writes...
06/21/2026

ICYMI—The June issue of The Independent, in a nutshell, revolves around tremendous opportunity…especially, as Jon writes, in such periods of uncertainty and dynamic challenge. He has a great message framing current contextual “value questions” asked of higher ed. The issue also points to many advantageous Member resources available to further your opportunities and enhance them, whether it’s around merchant knowledge, marketing, or several areas of professional skills building. Lastly, there are a ton of Vendor updates on specials, new products, and brand new ICBA Annual Vendor Partners—these AVP programs can do wonders for expanding your assortment with proven solutions, while also providing Member-exclusive financial/operational advantages. Explore it all and thanks for reading!!
https://mailchi.mp/4e74817ce7cd/the-independent-june2026

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

Address

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

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

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(312)7675500

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