After an almost year-long wait, the new Barnes & Noble location is set to officially open on Wednesday, July 1, at 10 a.m., in the historic but long vacant Marshall Field & Company building at 1144 Lake St.
This is the third of four new Barnes & Noble locations opening in the Chicagoland area this year as the company expands rapidly after a 15-year decline in bricks and mortar stores. The new location offers two-stories filled with books and a unique cafe with an atrium.
The bookstore chain’s CEO called the Oak Park store “extraordinary” and compares it favorably to the chain’s well received store in Wicker Park.
“We have one of the most beautiful bookstores in the United States in Wicker Park and now challenge it for sheer drama with this extraordinary bookstore in Oak Park,” said James Daunt, the CEO, in a press release. The Wicker Park store is housed in an architecturally significant former bank on Milwaukee Avenue.
The Marshall Field’s department store building is no stranger to selling books as it was once home to Borders. It will not be the only bookstore on Lake Street as the locally owned Book Loft is just a block to the east.
Janine Flanigan, Barnes & Noble vice president of store design, said store managers at the chain are encouraged to connect with the community to make the store more specific to the area. Having two booksellers on the same street just offers more to give different customer experiences, she said.
“I think we complement each other,” said Flanigan. “We think that there is always room for more bookstores. The more bookstores you have, the more people you have reading, the more people that are gathering and sharing ideas.”
Oak Park locals Heather Nelson and Sophie Schauer Eldred opened The Book Loft about nine months ago and witnessed the community’s interest and demand for reading first-hand. They offer a cozy atmosphere to be a home away from home with personal touches such as their own dining room tables now used as centerpieces in the store.
Although their business has been a success in the first year, Schauer Eldred expressed some concerns about what is to come with a big corporation moving in down the street.
“We know it’s going to impact business,” said Schauer Eldred. “They have a lot of money to do what they do best, which is sell in volume, and we don’t have that.”
She hopes that people will be drawn to Oak Park by the Barnes & Noble name but will decide to stay for small-business comfort and community. Nelson and Schauer Eldred make an effort to connect with the people of Oak Park and tailor the store to their needs with special events and even having a specific display with the books on local school summer reading lists.
“We have personality, we have hospitality, we have books and we are community driven,” said Schauer Eldred. “We are hoping that people go visit that new store but then come back here to appreciate the atmosphere and two local businesswomen creating a beautiful environment.”
Author Mia P. Manansala will be performing the ribbon cutting ceremony to kick-off the event with an additional special guest, The Cat in the Hat. There will be exclusive deals for anyone attending such as discounts on NOOK devices and movies according to a Barnes & Noble press release.