Book World, a regional chain of 48 stores located throughout Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota, is closing two stores this summer.
The Book World in Waupaca in north-central Wisconsin is closing its doors on July 18, and the Book World in the Wisconsin Dells, a popular summer vacation destination for families an hour's drive north of Madison, is closing its doors by mid-August.
Book World, and its 60-year-old parent company, Bpdi Corp., a book and magazine wholesaler, is headquartered in Appleton, Wisc. The company’s owner, Bill Streur, opened the first Book World store in Rhinelander, Wisc., in 1976. Book World’s typical strategy has been to operate bookstores in small towns and cities outside of major metropolitan areas, although there are a few Book World outlets in the greater Milwaukee metro area.
Some of Book World's outlets are located in spaces previously occupied by national chain bookstores, and most have extensive magazine selections as well as books, with an emphasis on bestsellers and regional nonfiction. Book World last opened a store in Mequon, Wisc., a Milwaukee suburb, in Oct. 2013, a year after The Next Chapter independent bookstore there went out of business.
Book World executives did not respond to requests for comment on the two store closings.
