![]() She talks about her love of the space, and how she competes with Amazon and chain stores, and how she urges people to support independent bookstores. It closed several years ago, and Nina opened up her store in 2014. The building used to house a different bookstore in it, and Nina did a story on it when she was in college at Northwestern University. Her store is purpose driven in a personal way.īookends & Beginnings just celebrated its 5th birthday. We discuss her ties to the store, why she became a bookstore owner, the book selling industry, her career in writing and her connection to Evanston. Bookends and Beginnings is an independent bookstore located in, “Bookman’s Alley,” located at 1712 Sherman Ave, Alley #1 Evanston, IL 60201. Bookends & Beginnings was a far more intimate, personal space that continues a long history of bookselling in the heart of Evanston.This week on, “Inside the Skev,” we interview Nina Barrett the owner of Bookends and Beginnings. That big chain store down the street is cavernous, and just like the ones in my home town. The store also sells a distinct selection of cards, papers, notebooks, toys, jewelry and more. This is a store for the whole family–children, teens, and adults of widely varied reading interests. ![]() You can also sign up for a newsletter and emails to keep in touch with bookstore events, staff picks, and more. The store regularly features author readings. For example, today (October 13, 2015) there is a workshop on the art and craft of memoir with Dina Elenbogen, an Evanston History Walk, and a literary salon on “Ta-Nehisi Coates and the topic of race in “Post-Racial” America”. The store is a beehive of literary and cultural activity. My sense is that there is a rich history of bookselling in this location but Jeff and Nina have put their own distinct imprint on the bookseller’s trade. When Nina and Jeff took over this site, they did not take over the books from the former store. From 1980 to 2013, Roger Carlson was one of the premier booksellers in Evanston. Needless to stay, the store also features a “rich selection of food-related books.” Nina has published three books, acquired a professional chef’s degree, worked as a food reporter, and won two James Beard awards, a major award in the world of cooking and food. Nina Barrett is owner and business manager for the store (and married to Jeff–no typo). The store’s website says, ” He served twice (20) as president of the Hans Christian Andersen awards jury of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY).” In a former life, Jeff was a librarian, specializing in rare and specialized collections, 18th and 19th century German and Austrian library history, and global children’s literature. The children’s section stocks books in 26 languages. Jeff Garrett, one of the partners in this enterprise considers this his pride and joy. ![]() In the back of the store, off to the left is a delightful children’s corner, complete with lots of stuffed animals and comfortable places to sit and look at books. I don’t usually read YA fiction, but this succinct review intrigued me–not enough to buy the book–yet. However this book was a wonderful engrossing read from first page to last.” ![]() “I usually don’t like futuristic novels, especially ones about a criminal who becomes a true believer. For example under The Book of Strange New Beginningsby Michel Faber, I found: One of the most delightful things you won’t find in that big chain bookstore are handwritten reviews by bookstore staff underneath books throughout the store. And even more surprising in the shadow of B & N, this store sells new books, ranging from serious literature and non-fiction to a section on the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field (hey, the Cubs are in the playoffs as I write!). Who) that was bigger on the inside than the outside. I walked in and discovered a store four or five times bigger than I expected, kind of like the stable in The Last Battle (or the TARDIS in Dr. As I approached, I found what looked like a very modest storefront and thought, this will be a quick visit. I became even more intrigued when I walked past a big B & N store and discovered they were located the next block north on Sherman - literally in an alley off the main street. On my mini-bookstore crawl in Evanston, I also came across a listing for Bookends & Beginnings, located in the legendary location of Bookman’s Alley.
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