Locals mourning the loss of The Book Table on Lake Street can get excited about a new place to find a favorite book; Oak Park residents Jamie and Kurt Ericson are opening the Dandelion Bookshop at 139 S. Oak Park Ave.
Jamie said she and her husband hope to open the store by December, in time for holiday shopping. When they heard The Book Table was closing, after Centuries & Sleuths in Forest Park, they came up with the idea to start their own.
“Having a bookstore here was big draw when we decided where to move,” said Jamie, who moved to the area more than four years ago. “Losing a bookstore means a big hole in the community.”
The couple chose Dandelion as the name for the bookstore because dandelions “represent hope, resilience and playfulness, and they’re tied to the ideas of wishes and growth,” Jamie told Wednesday Journal. They’re also stubborn and good inspiration for a new venture, she said.
The new bookshop owner said she also writes children’s books and has worked in publishing throughout her career. Connections from past jobs and support from the community have made it possible to open the new store.
The couple also has a 9-year-old son, Teddy, who loves to read and often spends time at the library or local bookstore. Jamie said while she plans for the bookstore to have all sorts of books, she’d like to place an emphasis on children’s books, too.
Jamie taught Teddy to read, and she said it was fascinating. Teddy said he likes realistic fiction and that his favorite book series is Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
“[Reading] is fun because it brings me into a new world,” he wrote.
Teddy said he’s excited to look at books in the new bookstore and do his homework there after school. He said he thinks other kids will enjoy having the chance to read their favorite books, too. Teddy also said that he’d like to help his parents shelve and scan books. One day, Teddy would like to write and do illustrations for non-fiction books about vehicles and realistic fiction.
Kids nowadays spend a lot of time on screens, Jamie pointed out. But reading is so important.
“Our empathy comes from reading,” she said. “Just putting yourself into someone else’s shoes and another world that you probably can’t easily step into … It just opens so much up, and I think we need that more than ever.”
The Dandelion Bookshop will acquire books from Ingram Content Group, a book distributor, and later from publishers directly. The business license Jamie and Kurt acquired requires them to sell new books, not used ones. Jamie also said she’d like the shop to carry other book-related items like gifts or merchandise.
Shelves are ordered, but it can take up to 12 weeks to get them, Jamie said, due to building, painting and shipping needs. If Jamie and Kurt are unable to open fully in December, she said they might like to do a pop-up store in the same space in the meantime.
Jamie also said she hopes the Dandelion Bookshop will be a place for local writing groups or others to meet and connect.
“Bookstores are such a connecting point,” she said. “This is the birthplace of Ernest Hemingway; we have to have one here. I really want it to be community focused.”
Locals can fill out a survey at dandelionbookshop.com to tell Jamie and Kurt more about what they’d like to see at the bookstore and what hours they are most likely to shop.
“We would really just like to make sure it’s a place for everyone,” Jamie said.
In the meantime, The Book Table is still selling its inventory as it gears up to close.
Wednesday Journal, LLC, owns the building that 139 S. Oak Park Ave. is in. The publisher and one board member of Growing Community Media are partial owners of Wednesday Journal, LLC. Growing Community Media is also a tenant in the building.