Bookleggers: Miami’s Free Bookstore Giving Stories to Everyone
- Sofia Lander
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Tucked inside the Bakehouse Art Complex in Wynwood, Miami’s only free bookstore is rewriting the rules of reading. For 13 years, Bookleggers has given away more than 140,000 books, sometimes from its cozy shop, sometimes from a traveling book trailer, and sometimes from the deck of a pirate ship.
“It’s about access,” Sandler explains. “A bookstore is expensive, and a library doesn’t let you keep the books. We’re the best of both worlds—and always fun. The principle behind Bookleggers was simple before it got established in Miami culture: books need to be accessible to everyone, abundant, and available anywhere. From the start, Bookleggers has focused on inclusion, giving away titles to anyone who wants them, whether at their Wynwood shop, through a traveling book trailer, or at one of their countless pop-ups. As Sandler puts it, “We try to give books to as many different kinds of people as we can—young people, old people, rich people, poor people.”
In 13 years, Bookleggers has distributed over 140,000 books, with a current rate of over 10,000 every year. The reach is as broad as the city itself, with books landing in children's hospitals, homeless shelters, prisons, museums, and even the deck of a pirate ship docked at Bayside.
Partnerships with important cultural organizations, such as the Pérez Art Museum and the University of Miami, help to keep the shelves supplied, and people frequently give personal collections in the hope of a second life.
"We rehome books and make sure they find a new life," Sandler explains. Bookleggers is the place where many locals in Miami can develop their own libraries without having to worry about costs.
In a city where bookstores struggle to survive, Bookleggers stands out as Miami’s only free bookstore—a rarity in a place where high rents often push booksellers out. While shops like Books & Books and newcomers such as Roots in Liberty City or Daline in the Design District keep the literary scene alive, none share Bookleggers’ free-for-all model. Still, giving away books comes with its own challenges.
Miami’s donation culture sometimes brings treasures but also headaches. “Even the most magical bookstore can’t turn trash into treasure,” Sandler admits, recalling donations that have arrived moldy or even covered in animal feces. Yet for every unusable box of books, there are stacks of children’s titles, comics, and Spanish or Creole works that quickly find grateful new readers.
For those looking to contribute, Bookleggers makes it easy: donation drop-off appointments can be scheduled directly through their website, ensuring the books that arrive have the best chance of finding a second life.
For Bookleggers, success isn’t measured in profit margins or bestsellers, but in the sheer number of books changing hands. According to Sandler’s estimate, the nonprofit has distributed more than 140,000 books since its founding, with over 10,000 books moving into new homes each year.
But the numbers only tell part of the story. Each box unloaded at a shelter, each child who picks out their first comic, and each student who discovers a novel in their native language adds up to something harder to quantify: community impact. “It’s not about how many books we can hoard,” Sandler says with a laugh. “It’s about how many we can give away.”
Photo Courtesy of Bookleggers
Bookleggers has proven that in Miami, where art and culture often compete with glitz and high prices, free access to books can be its own quiet revolution. What started as a grassroots project has become a cornerstone of the city’s literary ecosystem, one that thrives on generosity, creativity, and a touch of humor.
As the nonprofit looks to the future, its mission remains refreshingly simple: keep putting books in people’s hands. Whether you stumble upon their Wynwood shop, spot the book trailer at a festival, or schedule a donation through their website, the message is the same—books belong to everyone.
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