Sounds like there’s a children’s book topic in there somewhere. “We moved here because Evanston is a great place to live and raise our son,” she said.Īnd having a store like Bookends is part of that quality-of-life experience. Gretchen Badami said she was “devastated” to hear that the Alley location was closing, and was happy to donate to help keep a locally-owned bookstore alive. “He loves to read,” said his mom, Gretchen Badami. Saturday.Īnd while most of those on hand Wednesday evening were veteran readers and book purchasers, the event was also a chance to help nurture future book lovers and customers.įour-year-old Ananda Badami sat in a child-sized chair in the kids’ book section, flipping through pages. There will also be an official Grand Opening and ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. Now that the “thank you” event for donors is finished, the new Bookends and Beginnings is open for all other customers. “A bookstore is a destination,” said customer Diane Peachin. 64 reviews Claimed Cards & Stationery, Bookstores Closed 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM See hours See all 66 photos Event Planning & Services Cards & Stationery Bookends & Beginnings Today is a holiday Business hours may be different today. And the plan is also to have wine and snacks available … not as a bar, but rather to just add to the browsing experience. However, events such as author signings will be back, no matter what. So she’s cut back on some of the things she wanted to do, but is continuing the fund campaign to be able to do them down the road. While the crowdfunding drive was a success, it is still short of the $250,000 Barrett was hoping to raise. We’d end up with big box stores or no stores” she added. If the bookstore were to close for good, Taylor said, “Evanston would lose one of its’ charming stores. “I’ve known Nina since the beginning” of Bookends and Beginnings, Taylor said. Wednesday night’s opening was for GoFundMe contributors, as a way of saying “thank you.”īookends customer and crowd funding contributor Sandy Taylor. More than 1,300 contributors provide nearly $110,000, turning the new location, a former restaurant, into a reality. However, officials said the bookstore was not eligible for federal ARPA dollars, and could only provide $83,000 from other sources. She had hoped City Council would fund a move, because the city has financed other small business projects. While Barrett was committed to keeping a store downtown, a giant roadblock - money - stood in the way. Mural at new Bookends and Beginnings bookstore.īarrett had taken over the former Bookman’s Alley bookstore site in 2014, renamed it Bookends and Beginnings, and operated there until the end of last month.
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