Red Balloon Bookshop

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Red Balloon Bookshop Locally-owned, independent bookshop since 1984! Red Balloon opened in 1984, just four doors down from its current location.
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Red Balloon Bookshop has been helping children, teens, and adults in the Twin Cities connect with great books and great authors for more than 35 years! Located on historic Grand Avenue in Saint Paul, Red Balloon is an independent, woman-owned children’s bookstore with a wide selection of books, toys, and gifts for all ages, from infants to adults. The bookstore is a great place to meet other readers and book-lovers, attend weekly storytimes, hear from bestselling visiting authors and illustrators, and find the perfect gift for a kid you know (or for yourself)! By 1989, the bookstore needed more space and it’s been in the grey house with the bears out front ever since. Holly Weinkauf has owned the store since 2011, when the original owners, Carol Erdahl and Michele Cromer-Poire, retired. Named after the story by Albert Lamorisse, Red Balloon Bookshop continues to be an imaginative and exciting place for kids and kids-at-heart. Come visit us!

2018 Winner of the WNBA Pannell Award for Children's Specialty Bookstore

“The world is full of great and wonderful things for those who are ready for them.” -Moominpappa 🌷We hope you’re ready f...
10/19/2026

“The world is full of great and wonderful things for those who are ready for them.” -Moominpappa 🌷
We hope you’re ready for our new Moomin prints in our Inciardi mini print machine! We’re one of 8 stores in the country carrying these adorable prints. What a treat to carry more bookish prints at our shop!
‼️AVAILABLE NOW‼️

It’s spooky season, so Bookseller Claire painted our window with art from our October book of the month, Jess Hannigan’s...
10/16/2026

It’s spooky season, so Bookseller Claire painted our window with art from our October book of the month, Jess Hannigan’s picture book THE COW IN THE DARK AT NIGHT! 🐄 🛸🐈‍⬛

If you haven’t read this book yet we HIGHLY recommend you do yourself a favor and give it a gander. Turns out that a cow on the loose at night van yield all kinds of excitement 👀

Next Wednesday, join famed lettering artist and bestselling author Jessica Hische for an event at Red Balloon in honor o...
10/15/2026

Next Wednesday, join famed lettering artist and bestselling author Jessica Hische for an event at Red Balloon in honor of her new picture book, TOMORROW I’LL BE HAPPY! 🌈

Enjoy a read-aloud of and chat about the book, followed by a book signing. This event is free to attend. Visit our website or the link in our bio for details! 🎈

Next week, join us for a meow-gnificent evening with Drew Brockington to celebrate the new Catstronauts book, MODULE MAY...
10/14/2026

Next week, join us for a meow-gnificent evening with Drew Brockington to celebrate the new Catstronauts book, MODULE MAYHEM! 🐈🚀

There will be theatrics, a book signing, and more at this free event at Red Balloon! Visit our website or the link in our bio for info. 🎈

We are hiring an Event Coordinator!!Are you an energetic and organized individual with a passion for planning fun and ex...
10/14/2026

We are hiring an Event Coordinator!!

Are you an energetic and organized individual with a passion for planning fun and exciting events? Come work with us at Red Balloon and help create, plan, and execute a robust program of events!

Application deadline is October 28.

https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/1rfkizwGxKeZwb9PrIrQDzn3iU7bETJ2FV4tJ0aamypk/mobilebasic

(Rick Riordan, Annabelle Oh, and Brandon Mull are unfortunately not a part of the Red Balloon Staff though we’d be happy to offer any them a position if they were interested 😄)

On Indigenous Peoples' Day (and every other day!) we acknowledge the long rich history of sharing stories on this land, ...
10/12/2026

On Indigenous Peoples' Day (and every other day!) we acknowledge the long rich history of sharing stories on this land, that existed long before Red Balloon.

Red Balloon is on the ancestral land of some of the first storytellers, the Dakota people, who have been here sharing stories for many many generations, and who continue to make their lives here and tell their stories, along with Indigenous people from other Native nations

We acknowledge that these Indigenous peoples were removed unjustly from this land and that all of us are beneficiaries of that removal.

We honor and celebrate the culture and resilience of Native Americans and Indigenous Peoples today and every day.

We’ve been having such a fun Fall of events at Red Balloon! 🍁We’re so grateful to the incredible authors and illustrator...
10/08/2026

We’ve been having such a fun Fall of events at Red Balloon! 🍁We’re so grateful to the incredible authors and illustrators who came through to celebrate their books with us, and to the guests who came out to see them! 📚

Swipe to see some of the folks who have been through Red Balloon since September! 🎈

1. James Ponti, SHERLOCK SOCIETY: ART ATTACK with Payal Doshi
2. Bao Phi, RIDE/ÐAP XE
3. Elizabeth Acevedo, ANGER IS ONLY A SHADOW at the Roseville Library with Ari Tison
4. Beth Lincoln, THE SWIFTS: A GARDEN OF VIPERS
5. Aaron Reynolds, YARN IS EVERYTHING
6. Rick Riordan, Annabelle Oh, and Brandon Mull, CAMP HALF-BLOOD: THE WILD ZONE at the O’Shaughnessy at St. Kate’s
7. Pamela Mercado Michelli, LAS AVENTURAS DE AARÓN Y SU DRAGÓN
8. Kao Kalia Yang, MOMMA’S CHRISTMAS GIFT
9. Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue, KATIE THE CATSITTER: VILLAIN CON

Banned Book Week recognizes books both formally banned and books that have been challenged or even “soft banned” which m...
10/08/2026

Banned Book Week recognizes books both formally banned and books that have been challenged or even “soft banned” which means educators or school administrators or school boards will remove books from shelves to avoid complaints before they happen.

We like to think book bans don’t happen in MN but we know of several recent challenges or “soft bans” that have happened in the past year or two including a school cancelling an author visit because of the protest of a student’s family.

This is why it is so important to vote in your local elections and to pay attention to what is happening in your community. Educators and librarians who are out on the frontlines of book challenges need our fierce support!

Remember we are doing a book drive with Out & About Book Bus collecting LGBTQIA+ books for all ages! Monetary donations are welcome as well!!

LGBTQIA+ books are a huge focus of book banning especially in the past few years. To honor why these stories are importa...
10/07/2026

LGBTQIA+ books are a huge focus of book banning especially in the past few years. To honor why these stories are important and vital, we're partnering with the amazing Out & About Book Bus for a book drive! Out & About Book Bus is a mobile LGBTQIA+ library connecting children and families in the Twin Cities and beyond with LGBTQIA+ and gender affirming stories.

Purchase LGBTQIA+ books or donate monetarily so we can bring stories of visibility and q***r joy to kids around our community! https://redballoonbookshop.com/donation/out-about-book-bus-donations

Cat(ch) Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue at Red Balloon this Wednesday on their tour for KATIE THE CATSITTER: VILLAI...
10/05/2026

Cat(ch) Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue at Red Balloon this Wednesday on their tour for KATIE THE CATSITTER: VILLAIN CON! 🐈🎢🐈‍⬛

Get ready for more drama and disguises, more friendship and fun (and cats!) in this latest in the hit graphic novel series!

This event is free to attend. Visit Red Balloon’s website or the libk in our bio for more info! 🎈

Address

891 Grand Avenue
Saint Paul, MN
55105

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 7pm
Tuesday 10am - 7pm
Wednesday 10am - 7pm
Thursday 10am - 7pm
Friday 10am - 7pm
Saturday 10am - 7pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+16512248320

Website

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