National Independent Bookstore day really made me realize how many awesome indies I have around me; there is just something special about going to a bookstore that has its own personality. Each month, I will be highlighting an indie bookstore that I come across and would love to learn more about your indies as well! Without further ado, I introduce you to...
The Book Table is located in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb just outside of Chicago (and my favorite burb, omg, can I move there yet). It opened in 2003 and their tagline states that they are "fiercely independent".
I've visited this bookstore a few times and each time I am impressed by its size. It has all genres and some really cool book merchandise that I have to talk myself out of buying each time I visit. It is huge. There is nothing but shelves and tables covered in books and so many staff recommendation tags. It's a place you could easily spend over an hour in (if loved ones aren't rushing you to go to the next store that is). It has some pretty cool rare collections as well that you can finger through and fawn over. I did just this when my mom showed me the oversized Harry Potter illustrated book marked for $250.
They remind guests that they are more than happy to order any books, but it seemed like they had all of the most notable books. The Young Adult section itself had some signed copies and a mix of older and newer copies. I'm unsure if they have many author events because they don't have an instagram account (is it bad that that's how I get my news), and I'm unsure of where they would host these authors. Seriously, it's wall-to-wall books in this place.
I mentioned earlier that I come here mostly for the merchandise, of course, it's expensive, but I can't stay away. They have fun totes, really cool notebooks, fun witty magnets, an assortment of pens, pencil cases, bookmarks, scarves, and mugs.
If you're ever in Chicago, I highly recommend hopping the train to Oak Park to visit Book Table. It's got something for every bookworm!
Labels: Bookstore Spotlight, the book table
