From most any perspective, a community bookstore is an asset without compare. Need a personalized recommendation? Ask a professional bookseller! A local space to hang out and read? A venue to meet other bookish folks? Looking for a book signing/book club/story time? A business committed to hyper local perspectives? A way to keep your hard-earned money in your community? Indies do all that and more!
Saturday, April 26th is Independent Bookstore Day. Why not show your appreciation by supporting your local (I’ll list some of my favorites below)? If you’re to busy to stop in, try checking out Bookshop.org where you can still buy online, but designate a local book shop to receive the profit from your purchase or let your money go to a general profit pool distributed to participating indies nationwide. You get to pick your next great read from the comfort of your living room (or backyard or bedroom, no judgement!), and a local store still benefits–it’s a WIN/WIN situation!
If you are out and about in the Chicago area, why not check out one of these wonderful shops?
Anderson’s Bookshop (Naperville and Downers Grove)
Dandelion Bookshop (Oak Park)
Pilsen Community Books (Chicago/Pilsen)
Passages Wine and Books (Chicago/West Town)
Swallow Stories Bookshop (Lisle)
¡Viva! Los Libros (Chicago/Pilsen located in Plisen Arts and Community House or at Popups around the city)
It just so happens that this year, the online book seller that everyone loves to hate has scheduled their yearly book sale this weekend too (coincidence? probably not!), giving you the perfect opportunity to vote with your dollars for the kind of community you value. Hopefully that’s one with an indie bookstore–happy shopping!
Butler's Pantry 