“This is my dream bookstore,” said Nina Barrett, owner of Bookends & Beginnings, on the first official day of her shop at 1620 Orrington Ave. She opened Bookends in 2014 in Bookman’s Alley off Sherman Avenue and moved her 40,000 books to a more prominent location this month. It’s larger, has a bar for events, crazy chandeliers from the Rebuilding Exchange and a hand-painted mural by her two artist sons. A carousel horse that children can ride will be installed soon. “The challenge was, what are we going to do in here to make people feel cozy and excited and forget about how much they loved the alley,” Barrett said. On the value of books: “I can tell you which have been literally life changing or life saving for me. And I think that’s true for many other people.” (Photo by Richard Cahan)
Richard Cahan
Richard Cahan takes photos for the Evanston RoundTable. He also is publisher of CityFiles Press, a small but mighty media company that believes in the power of words and pictures. You can reach him at... More by Richard Cahan