Saturday, May 16, 2015

Chicago Downtown Bookstores -- a preview



I was very saddened when Border's Bookstore closed for business.  I love walking into the front of a bookstore and seeing what is new and then walking through the shelves of books.

I hope that  people will always be able to walk through shelves of books, checking out the covers and author's names.  I would miss the smell of a used bookstore - kind of dusty and musty -- sometimes sneeze worthy.

I am planning to record some of the bookstores I have visited, where they are located and the type of books they carry.  I will also mention the atmosphere about them and other amenities that might be available.  I will not limit myself to independent bookstores, but also the large big box stores.

Right now I am in Chicago and, lo and behold, a short walk from my hotel, I spied a bookstore.  It is called Selected Works and it is on the second floor of the The Arts Building.  Unfortunately, it was closed.  I plan to visit it tomorrow or the next day and will write about what I find.

The Columbia College Bookstore happens to be next to my hotel.   This university bookstore has a several rows  of new titles,  they also carry college memorabilia, and snacks for the students.

There are  many Barnes & Noble bookstores in Chicago-- about ten-- some of these may be in the suburbs, but there are a couple in the downtown area and one is associated with DePaul University.  I have never seen a B&N associated with a university and I am eager to explore it.

I will be back in a couple of days with info about these bookstores.  In future blogs, I will reminisce about the bookstores I visited in Portland, Oregon and Washington -- including Powell's -- and the little bookstore in Indianapolis I found at the end of a bike ride.

See ya next time and read a book for me!