Literary Chicago

A little over a year ago, I was complaining to a coworker about the fact that Raindog Books on Michigan Avenue had closed. It was located only a couple of businesses down from Roosevelt University, my alma mater, and, although it couldn’t compare to its predecessor, the loop incarnation of Bookseller’s Row, it nonetheless provided a place to pick up a good used book for a reasonable price. Prairie Avenue, Selected Works, Abraham Lincoln, Pauline, Brent, and Sandmeyer’s were too specialized and Printer’s Row Fine and Rare was too posh. Afterwords Bookstore on Illinois Street had a decent selection of both new and used books, but were Chicagoans supposed to content themselves with only one affordable, general interest, partially used bookstore in the downtown area?

My coworker tried to console me by saying there had been some buzz among her suburban friends about a place called Open Books. She described it then as merely a used bookstore and, at the time, the fact that it didn’t have a proper storefront or a listing in the Yellow Pages made even that moniker somewhat dubious. But the word of mouth that found its way to me that day and the determination of a social-media entrepreneur named Stacy Ratner quickly garnered a flurry of press coverage, both local and national, as well as some 3,000 volunteers.

Open Books isn’t your average bookstore. As its website indicates, it’s “a nonprofit social venture that operates an extraordinary bookstore, provides community programs, and mobilizes passionate volunteers to promote literacy in Chicago and beyond” and its mission is ”to enrich lives through reading, writing, and the power of used books.” Its headquarters are located in a renovated bicycle factory in River North, just off of Chicago and Franklin, and, yes, it now has a brick-and-mortar shop to call its own.

This NPO’s space rivals any of its commercial counterparts. When I visited for the first time, on Pulaski Day, I couldn’t help but pull out my camera phone. And this was before I had any intention of starting a blog. I snapped away at the giant, golden preying mantis dangling from the ceiling, the glass-blown octopus light fixtures, the huge tree in the children’s corner, the opulent purple chairs, the oversized red bench, and the hilarious painting of a Victorian dandy wearing funky, modern-day goggles. The bookcases were painted in primary colors and set on wheels, which, I suppose, means that they can reconfigure the store to accommodate its literary events. I was thrilled. And it didn’t hurt that they were playing Bjork and Belle and Sebastian.

I came away from Open Books with three literary journals, two Onion anthologies, a book by Nelson Algren, and a strong desire to support the efforts of literacy organizations in Chicago.

Upcoming events include a film screening of Storm (winner of the Amnesty International Film Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival), mural painting, craft night, poetry readings, and a zine-making workshop for teens. Please visit the store itself or its website at www.open-books.org for more information or to find out about volunteer opportunities.