What’s so independent about these Minnesota bookstores? Plenty.

Unless you’re talking about the river in South America or a giantess, do not say the word “Amazon” in The Bookstore at Fitger’s.

A certain online retail giant is known only as “that horrible company whose name we don’t say” in the cozy store in Duluth’s Fitger’s Inn complex, according to manager Jennifer Jubenville, a former Barnes and Noble manager who shifted to Fitger’s because she’s a firm believer in independent stores.

From NorthWild Bookstore in International Falls to Paperbacks and Pieces in Winona to Drury Lane Books in Grand Marais, Minnesota is home to dozens of locally owned bookstores, and many are celebrating Independent Book Store Day on April 26 (around 25 Twin Cities bookstores will be part of the Independent Bookstore Passport program, in which patrons get stamps from each store they visit, from April 23-27).

We checked in with four stores to find out what makes them so independent:

In addition to signings, prizes and deals, the shop (which also is celebrating its 35th anniversary) hosts an annual Author Bingo, which starts with the store reaching out to favorites such as William Kent Krueger for the titles they’re currently recommending. Then, said Jubenville, “When people come that day, they get a bingo board and they get to walk around the store and see what their favorite authors are recommending. Depending on how many they find, they can turn that in at the cash register for a discount.”

Because she has done time in the corporate-controlled world of bookstore chains, Jubenville said she’s very clear about the importance of Fitger’s remaining independent.

“It means I get to make the determination for what makes sense to my store. I don’t answer to a board of directors or stockholders,” said Jubenville, whose store will be part of the Twin Ports Bookstore Passport. “I answer to an owner, but there’s no corporate that tells me, ‘No, you’re not going to do a Black History Month display.’ I have the authority to do that. Or to say, ‘Yes, Pride is important and we will have a display for Pride.’”

At the northeast Minneapolis store, which just opened in February, being independent means the recommendations on its shelves really do reflect the taste of its employees (it’s a general bookstore but employees’ interests, owner Elizabeth Foster said, lean heavily toward science fiction/fantasy).

“Being independent is core to our identify,” said Foster. “We love the fact that we can be flexible in what we stock, in terms of local authors and artists. We love that we can be part of the community in a way a chain retailer can’t.”

Foster said Inkwell also is walking the independent walk by supporting local chai and coffee retailers in its coffee shop. And, like Jubenville, she gets in a dig at the online store that must not be named: “We have people coming in to say they love they can walk over and support something local and not do any online shopping, not worry about having packages delivered to their houses.”

One thing you probably won’t see at a chain bookstore? Belly rubs.

But you would have found them at Niche in downtown Lakeville in February. Owner Ashley Christopherson said a virtue of independence is being nimble enough to try crazy ideas.

“If it works, great. If it doesn’t, it’s no huge loss,” said Christopherson. “I had someone come in last summer with a service dog and she volunteers with PawPADS. They do diabetic alert dog training, similar to therapy dogs. She said, ‘If you ever want to have an event where kids read to dogs, let me know.’”

Which Christopherson did, with excellent results: “It didn’t cost me anything and I probably made money, actually, because people were in here, looking around while their kids were reading to the dogs.”

Another facet of being independent is that she learns a lot from customers, said Christopherson. That’s why, in addition to going to the dogs, Niche now stocks many more romance titles than it did when it opened last summer.

“We focus on Black voices and other underrepresented voices,” said Strive owner Mary Taris, whose Minneapolis store is planning a move. “Being downtown, we get a lot of people from out of town and they really appreciate being able to come in and connect, which is our mission: to connect across cultures through the joy of books and events.”

Strive is participating in the bookstore passport, which Taris said was a blast last year. But shoppers will find that being independent means that Strive doesn’t necessarily cater to folks seeking the new “Hunger Games” prequel.

“There are two books, in particular, that I can’t keep in stock: ‘All About Love,’ by Bell Hooks, and ‘The Magical Language of Others,’ by E. J. Koh,” said Taris. “Being independent means having the freedom to bring forth stories I feel can help us connect, and also building a literary community. Things that will bring people together — that’s what’s important.”