Bookends & Beginnings, which has been housed for the past eight years in a space accessed through an alley that was once occupied by an antiquarian bookstore, is moving in January to a historic building located about two blocks away from its current location in Evanston, Ill. Owner Nina Barrett ascribed the reason for the move to Orrington Avenue as a “drastic increase in rent demanded by a new landlord.”
“We had to face the fact that as much as this eccentric, back-alley ambiance had always been integral to our identity, remaining here was going to be unsustainable for us financially,” Barrett said, noting that the new location offers many advantages that the store currently lacks. The store will be housed in a high-visibility building on a major street close to Fountain Square, the downtown’s hub. The area attracts a great deal of evening foot traffic due to the proximity of many popular restaurants. At 4,400 square feet on two levels, it is also 500 square feet larger than the current space.
Besides expanding the children’s book area in the new space, Barrett intends to keep later store hours in order to attract after-dinner strollers. The store will also have a larger event space to accommodate events and other programming. Barrett intends to offer a limited wine and beverage service at Bookends & Beginnings after the move, to further “enhance the event and browsing experience for customers.”
