Indies First Day

Big-box retail has its official day of frenzy on Black Friday (and increasingly on Turkey Thursday, thanks to the creeping insanity of Christmas shopping), but it doesn't have to be this way. Shopping at locally owned businesses is a great way to reconnect with your community and get a little gift shopping done at the same time. That's why Saturday, November 26, is designated Indies First Day. This tie-in to Small Business Saturday is all about promoting independent bookstores, of which St. Louis has an abundance. Today from from 1 to 5 p.m. at Left Bank Books (399 North Euclid Avenue; www.left-bank.com) special guest authors will give readings and offer suggestions for the perfect gift for tough-to-buy-for relatives. Left Bank's specialists include Christina Lane (author of the cooking-for-two books Dessert for Two and Comfort and Joy), suspense master Ridley Pearson, music journalist (and RFT contributor) Ben Westhoff, and professor of finance and former investment banker Ed Morris. Admission is free, so you can buy more books.