Nearly every elementary schooler impatiently awaits the Scholastic Book Fair. Whether it’s just a reprieve from fractions or a chance to pick up some new animal-shaped erasers, the fairs are a highlight of the school year.
Now, grown-ups, too, can put their worries aside for a few hours and return to the fantastical escape of a book fair.
The Rewind Book Fair came to the State Fairgrounds on April 18 and 19, welcoming visitors to indulge in an adult version of the nostalgic book fair. Tinges of childhood were everywhere, with visits from well-known children’s authors and trinkets that would make a 7-year-old’s heart happy.
While this weekend marked the first Rewind Book Fair, co-creator Rachel Silberman started its predecessor, the Book Fair for Grown-Ups, in early 2025 at Inbound BrewCo. The fair was a hit and expanded to the Education Building at the Fairgrounds months later.
Rewind is a new, separate fair. To make it a reality, Silberman partnered with Ben Penrod, the founder of the company behind Twin Cities Con. The pair were able to book well-known authors like Kate DiCamillo and Bruce Coville for Q&As and signings, alongside more underground local talent.
In Penrod’s eyes, the fair gives people the chance to discover the unknown while exploring a common interest — books.
“I love shopping at a bookstore, but it’s not really a community event—that’s a retail event,” Penrod said. “This one, it’s like there’s a buzz and a vibe that goes along with it, and everybody’s just there for a common purpose.”
About 250 booths filled up the first floor of the grandstand, creating a hedge maze of literature and crafts. The most prominent book genres were romance and fantasy, sometimes blended in the BookTok-favorite amalgam “romantasy.”
Among these love-centric booths was Swoonworthy, a romance bookstore located in White Bear Lake run by sisters Stephanie Phenow and Emily Arcand. Everything they carry — from novels to bookmarks — is romance-adjacent, featuring some sort of happily ever after.
Phenow said the positive atmosphere at the book fair was a draw for both her and her audience, allowing them to cultivate community amongst book lovers.
“It gives authors visibility, that’s really important,” Phenow said. “I think it also gives readers visibility into what authors are like, and a chance to meet new authors.”
Just a few booths away was Pencil x Paper Publishing, a local poetry publishing company started by author and poet Jennae Cecelia. The table had two volumes of her poetry available for purchase alongside others published by Pencil x Paper.
Cecelia attended the fair at Inbound Brewing last year, and the experience was so successful that she returned to the Rewind Book Fair this year.
“People have been really excited and pleasantly surprised there’s poetry books here,” Cecelia said, pointing out the quantity of fantasy, romance and mystery booths. Her goal at Rewind was to be a voice for poetry and poetry lovers.
At Rewind, books are only one piece of the puzzle. Bookish bags and trinkets are everywhere, reminiscent of the novelty items kids would spend their allowances on at their book fairs.
“A Scholastic Book Fair had bookmarks, erasers, gel pens and all these types of things, and so we wanted to bring that back,” Silberman said.
One of the first booths by the entrance was The Geek Boutique, selling customizable flannels with options to sew on patches of literary references.
Down the row from the boutique was Frostbeard Studio, a book-themed candle shop that sells soy candles and wax melts named after literary places and people. If you’ve ever wondered what Mr. Darcy’s Pemberley gardens smell like, Frostbeard has just the candle for you.
The crafted items felt like they were made with readers in mind.
Cassie Van Heel, creator of Elixir Threads, uses recycled materials to handmake everything in the booth. The creations range from embossed felt hats, tote bags and carriers for e-readers called Hemingway pouches.
Van Heel modified her pouch design to accommodate readers’ lifestyles — It’s large enough to fit most small reading tablets and includes special rings for people to clip straps onto for a hands-free e-reader carrying experience.
To Van Heel, the book fair helps redirect focus from corporate stores to local artists.
“When someone buys a product from me, they’re also buying from all of the other small businesses that I’ve chosen to support,” Van Heel said. “It’s bringing things away from large-scale fast fashion and bringing it into the smaller village, community-type situations.”
Just because you’ve aged into adulthood doesn’t mean the magic of a book fair has to end.
The Rewind Book Fair reinvigorated that zest for fantastical escape last weekend, and creators Silberman and Penrod would love to see the fair continue to grow into other states.
