New Bookstore, Cafe Heads To Wicker Park - And They Would Love Your Input
Move on over Myopic, a brand new independent book store is heading to Wicker Park.
Sisters Rebecca and Kimberly George, Wicker Park residents, educators and soon-to-be small business owners, have set their sights on the former location of of Recycle Mens & Womens Designer Retail at 1474 N. Milwaukee Avenue as the spot for their new indie bookstore, Volumes Bookcafe.
And we couldn't be more excited. But Volumes Bookcafe won't be your traditional bookstore. This shop will incorporate a small cafe with coffee, baked goods & sandwiches and (if all goes well) beer & wine. The space is being designed so everything in the interior of the store is movable, allowing the space to be easily adapted to accommodate a variety of events ranging from author events to lectures and open mic nights to scrabble leagues, classes, and eventually kids camps. The owners of Wicker Park's newest bookstore would love for Volumes Bookcafe to be an event hub for the community and a comfortable hangout for you. "This will be a cozy and clear space with several nooks for reading and curling up with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. We want people to feel welcome to come and stay all day if they want" says owner Rebecca George.
The team behind Volumes Bookcafe is all about their community. They want to serve as a valuable resource for everyone from little ones on up. That's where YOU come in. As they're preparing to stock their shelves, they would love your input. From what kind of fiction/non-fiction books you prefer to the types of events you'd like to see hosted there. Their focus will be primarily new books with a few used books sprinkled into the mix. But in no way are they looking to compete with Myopic and used books will not be their focus.
Approximately 1,800 square feet will be dedicated to books alone. There will be a lot of books. About 20% of that will be Children's, Middle grade and Young Adult. The rest will be a relatively standard mix for a bookstore including: Art, Architecture and Poetry sections.
Look for Volumes Bookcafe to open late Spring/early Summer at 1474 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park.
Ha! Yo just emailed me while I was working on this. It is 11:50...so still morning (and what a busy morning it has been)
Why you chose to open a bookstore/ the neighborhood?
We chose to open a bookstore for a number of reasons. First and foremost, this was my dream as a little girl, so i has always been percolating in the back of my brain, despite the fact my career was rooted in academia for so many years. Both my sister and I are educators by trade. I have degrees in all things books and education. B.A. English, M.A. Teaching Secondary English, and M.F.A. in Writing. My sister, Kimberly is similar. B.A. Theater. M.A. Theater Education and then a certification in Early Childhood. She taught preschool for years and ended up in directorship positions. I ended up teaching college and was about to go and grab a PhD I was marginally interested in, when I decided to sort of turn things around. I pitched the bookstore to the family in 2013, with much trepidation, and now here we are, months away from opening. It is crazy how life makes certain turns.
We grew up in Barrington. We actually live together now as we prepare for all of this. We tend to really complement each others skills, so this is a good direction for both of us to travel on together.
We picked this neighborhood because it is our neighborhood. Kimberly has lived here for the last four years, and I have been here, with the exception of my stint in Colorado for grad school, mostly since 2003. I love this neighborhood, and I saw a gap for a place that sells new books and is focused on the building of community. This is a smart and resourceful neighborhood. It is changing, and some would say it is losing a bit of the flavor that make it so unique. We want to infuse the Wicker Park-ness back into a space where we are contributing to the intellectual/reading health of the people who live here.
Your vision for your business.
Community! Community is a big focus, and what is driving the design and the future programming for the store. We will be catering to all ages, from little ones on up. We will have a sizable kids section, with a great deal of kid and family programming every week.
We will have a small cafe, with coffee, baked goods, sandwiches and (fingers crossed), beer and wine.
We want this to be an event hub, so adding the cafe and that area will be a great asset to that vision. We've also designed the store so that everything in the interior is moveable, so we can adjust the space to accommodate all sorts of events. From author events, lectures, open mic nights to scrabble leagues, classes, and eventually kids camps! Overall it will be a cozy and clear space with several nooks for reading and curling up with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. We want people to feel welcome to come and stay all day if they want.
Ha! Yo just emailed me while I was working on this. It is 11:50...so still morning (and what a busy morning it has been)
Why you chose to open a bookstore/ the neighborhood?
We chose to open a bookstore for a number of reasons. First and foremost, this was my dream as a little girl, so i has always been percolating in the back of my brain, despite the fact my career was rooted in academia for so many years. Both my sister and I are educators by trade. I have degrees in all things books and education. B.A. English, M.A. Teaching Secondary English, and M.F.A. in Writing. My sister, Kimberly is similar. B.A. Theater. M.A. Theater Education and then a certification in Early Childhood. She taught preschool for years and ended up in directorship positions. I ended up teaching college and was about to go and grab a PhD I was marginally interested in, when I decided to sort of turn things around. I pitched the bookstore to the family in 2013, with much trepidation, and now here we are, months away from opening. It is crazy how life makes certain turns.
We grew up in Barrington. We actually live together now as we prepare for all of this. We tend to really complement each others skills, so this is a good direction for both of us to travel on together.
We picked this neighborhood because it is our neighborhood. Kimberly has lived here for the last four years, and I have been here, with the exception of my stint in Colorado for grad school, mostly since 2003. I love this neighborhood, and I saw a gap for a place that sells new books and is focused on the building of community. This is a smart and resourceful neighborhood. It is changing, and some would say it is losing a bit of the flavor that make it so unique. We want to infuse the Wicker Park-ness back into a space where we are contributing to the intellectual/reading health of the people who live here.
Your vision for your business.
Community! Community is a big focus, and what is driving the design and the future programming for the store. We will be catering to all ages, from little ones on up. We will have a sizable kids section, with a great deal of kid and family programming every week.
We will have a small cafe, with coffee, baked goods, sandwiches and (fingers crossed), beer and wine.
We want this to be an event hub, so adding the cafe and that area will be a great asset to that vision. We've also designed the store so that everything in the interior is moveable, so we can adjust the space to accommodate all sorts of events. From author events, lectures, open mic nights to scrabble leagues, classes, and eventually kids camps! Overall it will be a cozy and clear space with several nooks for reading and curling up with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. We want people to feel welcome to come and stay all day if they want.
Ha! Yo just emailed me while I was working on this. It is 11:50...so still morning (and what a busy morning it has been)
Why you chose to open a bookstore/ the neighborhood?
We chose to open a bookstore for a number of reasons. First and foremost, this was my dream as a little girl, so i has always been percolating in the back of my brain, despite the fact my career was rooted in academia for so many years. Both my sister and I are educators by trade. I have degrees in all things books and education. B.A. English, M.A. Teaching Secondary English, and M.F.A. in Writing. My sister, Kimberly is similar. B.A. Theater. M.A. Theater Education and then a certification in Early Childhood. She taught preschool for years and ended up in directorship positions. I ended up teaching college and was about to go and grab a PhD I was marginally interested in, when I decided to sort of turn things around. I pitched the bookstore to the family in 2013, with much trepidation, and now here we are, months away from opening. It is crazy how life makes certain turns.
We grew up in Barrington. We actually live together now as we prepare for all of this. We tend to really complement each others skills, so this is a good direction for both of us to travel on together.
We picked this neighborhood because it is our neighborhood. Kimberly has lived here for the last four years, and I have been here, with the exception of my stint in Colorado for grad school, mostly since 2003. I love this neighborhood, and I saw a gap for a place that sells new books and is focused on the building of community. This is a smart and resourceful neighborhood. It is changing, and some would say it is losing a bit of the flavor that make it so unique. We want to infuse the Wicker Park-ness back into a space where we are contributing to the intellectual/reading health of the people who live here.
Your vision for your business.
Community! Community is a big focus, and what is driving the design and the future programming for the store. We will be catering to all ages, from little ones on up. We will have a sizable kids section, with a great deal of kid and family programming every week.
We will have a small cafe, with coffee, baked goods, sandwiches and (fingers crossed), beer and wine.
We want this to be an event hub, so adding the cafe and that area will be a great asset to that vision. We've also designed the store so that everything in the interior is moveable, so we can adjust the space to accommodate all sorts of events. From author events, lectures, open mic nights to scrabble leagues, classes, and eventually kids camps! Overall it will be a cozy and clear space with several nooks for reading and curling up with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. We want people to feel welcome to come and stay all day if they want.
Ha! Yo just emailed me while I was working on this. It is 11:50...so still morning (and what a busy morning it has been)
Why you chose to open a bookstore/ the neighborhood?
We chose to open a bookstore for a number of reasons. First and foremost, this was my dream as a little girl, so i has always been percolating in the back of my brain, despite the fact my career was rooted in academia for so many years. Both my sister and I are educators by trade. I have degrees in all things books and education. B.A. English, M.A. Teaching Secondary English, and M.F.A. in Writing. My sister, Kimberly is similar. B.A. Theater. M.A. Theater Education and then a certification in Early Childhood. She taught preschool for years and ended up in directorship positions. I ended up teaching college and was about to go and grab a PhD I was marginally interested in, when I decided to sort of turn things around. I pitched the bookstore to the family in 2013, with much trepidation, and now here we are, months away from opening. It is crazy how life makes certain turns.
We grew up in Barrington. We actually live together now as we prepare for all of this. We tend to really complement each others skills, so this is a good direction for both of us to travel on together.
We picked this neighborhood because it is our neighborhood. Kimberly has lived here for the last four years, and I have been here, with the exception of my stint in Colorado for grad school, mostly since 2003. I love this neighborhood, and I saw a gap for a place that sells new books and is focused on the building of community. This is a smart and resourceful neighborhood. It is changing, and some would say it is losing a bit of the flavor that make it so unique. We want to infuse the Wicker Park-ness back into a space where we are contributing to the intellectual/reading health of the people who live here.
Your vision for your business.
Community! Community is a big focus, and what is driving the design and the future programming for the store. We will be catering to all ages, from little ones on up. We will have a sizable kids section, with a great deal of kid and family programming every week.
We will have a small cafe, with coffee, baked goods, sandwiches and (fingers crossed), beer and wine.
We want this to be an event hub, so adding the cafe and that area will be a great asset to that vision. We've also designed the store so that everything in the interior is moveable, so we can adjust the space to accommodate all sorts of events. From author events, lectures, open mic nights to scrabble leagues, classes, and eventually kids camps! Overall it will be a cozy and clear space with several nooks for reading and curling up with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. We want people to feel welcome to come and stay all day if they want.
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