A storefront with a dark awning on a tree-lined downtown Evanston block. Photo: Eric Fredericks from Rancho Cordova, CA, United States / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Bookends & Beginnings has had two Evanston addresses in its short history, and the move between them says a good deal about the economics of independent bookselling.
2014: taking over Bookman’s Alley
The store held its grand opening in June 2014 at 1712 Sherman Ave., the space that had housed Bookman’s Alley, an antique bookstore, for more than three decades, the Daily Northwestern reported. Owner Nina Barrett, a Medill graduate, stocked popular and vintage books, a cooking section and a bargain section, and sold affordable jewelry imported from Berlin. The shop had no Wi-Fi, which Barrett said was meant to keep it a distraction-free space. She also described plans to sell cookbooks at the Farmers’ Market and to launch an e-commerce site.
At its 2014 opening the store kept hours of Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Barrett is the store’s sole owner, the Daily Northwestern later noted, which meant the decisions about the lease, the move and the fundraising rested on one person.
2023: a rent increase and a move
In January 2023, the Daily Northwestern reported that the building’s new landlord had more than doubled the store’s rent over the summer, an increase the paper put at 125 percent. After months of failed negotiations, Barrett packed up to leave by the end of the month. A farewell event took place Jan. 25, and the move to 1620 Orrington Ave. began Jan. 28, with a reopening targeted for Feb. 9 or 10.
Support came from several directions. The City of Evanston provided $83,000 in aid, and a GoFundMe campaign had raised $105,000 of a $250,000 goal when the article ran. Plans for the new space included street-facing display windows, later hours, alcohol service, more literary events, an expanded children’s section and a mural painted by Barrett’s two sons.
What the store sells now
According to Downtown Evanston’s directory listing, the shop is a two-story space with literary events and a downstairs MiniBar serving wine, cocktails and beer, open during events and daily from 4 p.m. Shelves hold new, used and bargain books and gift items, including children’s books in 48 foreign languages such as Kurdish, Maori and Basque. A separate storefront next door at 1630 Orrington Ave., Middles Used Books, carries rare and used titles. Listed store hours are 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
That mix is a familiar survival strategy for independent bookstores. New titles bring foot traffic, used and rare books add another line of sales, events draw regulars, and a bar gives people a reason to stay. The 2014 idea of selling beyond the storefront, through the Farmers’ Market and online, was part of the plan from the start.
The directory says Barrett opened the store with help from her husband, Jeff Garrett. Sales figures were not available, and the sources reviewed did not report how the fundraising campaign finished. What the record shows is a business that weathered a landlord dispute with public and private support and kept its name and its customers on a new block.
Sources: Daily Northwestern (2014, 2023); Downtown Evanston.
Daniel Okafor covers business, startups and the Innovators section for The Evanston Edge.
