Powell's Bookstores, Chicago — Halsted branch

Actual bookshops, both of the independent and chain varieties, are a steadily vanishing part of the urban (and suburban) landscape here in these United States. I find this development extremely lamentable. As a book-worm and bibliophile, I need books as a junkie needs his shit, and since I read a lot of foreign language books for both work and pleasure, I certainly do avail myself routinely of the wonders of the internet and order books from internet shops in Europe and the States, including the oppressive market-monster that is Amazon (mea massima culpa). But the internet shopping experience is in and of itself not in any real way pleasureable; for me, it's no more than a necessity for books from abroad and for domestically available books a necessity or convenience.

But book-shopping itself, in a brick-and-mortar shop, surrounded by lots of wooden shelves filled with new and used books, which collectively have a mild but distinct odour (in an indirect way, similar to that of the smell of good pasta cooking in salted water, which is perhaps even more intoxicating than the smell of a good rraù), is an activity that is for real book-lovers deeply satisfying. To be able to look over a shelf and discover titles you never knew existed or whose existence had decades ago slipped out of your consciousness... to pick those books up and flip through them... to feel them in your hand and get a sense of how a given volume will fit in your bookbag or coat pocket, etc. etc. etc.

***

Well, on a rainy day this week, Amata and I stopped in the branch of Powell's that opened earlier this year in 'University Village', at the corner of Halsted and Roosevelt by the square with the strange (but interesting, esp. in the rain) sculptural thingie that UIC erected there a few years back. This shop took over the space (and shelving) formerly occupied by Barbara's Books and it is my hope the new shop will have a better fate than the old one.

To that end, LTH community, I call attention to the fact that this branch of Powell's has a particularly nice selection of books — mostly of the remainder sort, so new but at great prices — in the general field of cookery. A couple of sections of shelving of cookbooks and a further full section of other food-related books.

Needless to say, there are many other kinds of writing that are well represented in this Powell's inventory but I do think the cookery offerings are particularly worth a perusal. Some very interesting books there and on sale at genuinely budget-friendly prices.

Antonius

Powell's Bookstores, Chicago — University Village
1218 South Halsted Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60607
312.243.9070

9 a.m. — 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday
10 a.m. — 6 p.m. Sunday

So let me get this straight, this is a store you can walk into that sells books printed on paper? I've seen them in black and white films but I didn't know they existed in real life.

...and a tip of the hat to Antonius.

Glad to know they've reopened on the near South side. Was disappointed when they closed the store on 8th and Wabash and it's about damn time they came back--even if somewhat more inconveniently for me personally.

On that note, I'd single out one other used bookstore that I have always found to have a surprisingly wide and deep selection of cookbooks:

Bookworks
3444 N. Clark Street
(773) 871-5318
http://www.thebookworks.com

almost dead ahead of you as you enter the store.

Sure would be nice if we had a place like Omnivore Books in Chicago. Half a block away from Incanto, and very close to La Ciccia, an excellent Sardinian place, too. Makes for a fun excursion to Noe Valley, should you be in SF.

Gypsy Boy — When we lived in Printers' Row, the old Powell's branch on Wabash was a regular stop on my walks around the neighbourhood... many great finds I had there... The new place, configured originally as a Barbara's shop, has a different feel -- more open and airy and less intense, if you know what I mean -- but that has its good side... There are tables and chairs here and there and one can settle down and spend a little time looking things over or even working, I suppose... I hope the UIC community embraces the place and does so soon...

There's a lunch-place that one accesses through the store itself, "Pitabelly" (apparently, the use of 'belly' in a compound has not yet been copyrighted)... I haven't tried it yet but wouldn't mind doing so sometime if I'm hanging out in the bookstore...

Also worthy of note is the fact that Lush is just a short ways away on the other side of Halsted... books and beer (or wine or spirits)... always a good way to spend a quiet evening at home...

***

Thanks for the tip about Bookworks... I will definitely try to get up there sometime soon!

A

Hi,

When this location was Barbara's Bookstore, I used their space in the rear for meetings. Do you happen to see if this meeting spot still exists? I have been meaning to stop in to check.

Regards,

Hi Cathy... The door to the back room was open the other day when Amata and I were there and one could see paintings hanging on the wall but I didn't notice much else... So, it seems the space is still there and attached to the bookstore, so I suppose there is a chance that it is still available to the public for events...

A

Antonius et al,

When next you're in Portland town, DO visit the original Powell's. They have the best collection of used Philosophy books in N. America. Plus the have a cookbook and a travelshop each. And not a long walk to the Crawfish.

Geo

Love Powell's in Portland!

Geo, do you know the connection between the Chicago and Portland Powell's?
http://magazine.uchicago.edu/0112/features/powell.html

Tnx for that Amata, it was fascinatinig! I sure didn't know that. What an AMAZing group of 'angels'he had. Ed Shils is as famous in his field as Bellow is in his.

It's scary to walk into the Portland store: usually I've flown there-- how am I going to transport all those books I just know I'm going to buy?

Enjoy your Powell's!

Geo

Greetings, Geo!

I've never been to Portland and so I've never been to that Powell's (missed out on a chance to go thither last year, to Amata's chagrin) but I order used academic books from them with some regularity... It sounds like it would indeed be great fun to go visit there but the problem of schleppage on the return trip could be, as you say, quite serious... I often have a problem with weighty book purchases when travelling, esp. in Europe, and on more than a few occasions it's gotten out of hand... The last time I had that problem in the States was a few years back on a visit to New Mexico and a long poke around a wonderful Spanish-language bookstore in Santa Fe... the name thereof is, I believe, Allá, right smack in the middle of town... really a gem of a bookstore that is...

A

Hi Antonius! So great to hear your voice again!
And to now discover that Santa Fe in not only a great food resource, but also a great book resource!
I don't read Espanol (which makes no sense, I know... But I've bought lots of books in France--buchanistes, PUF, what have you, and discovered that Postes France will give one a mail sack to fill with books to mail home at boat rates.

Similarly, Blackwell's *used* to provide a book-shipping service at boat rates. They do all the work.
I know you spend some time in Oxford, so I'm sure you frequent Blackwell's!

Too bad the USPS wasn't as book-friendly...

Btw, have you been to the Morse-Lewis shrine in The White Horse, just underneath the bookstore? It's a hoot!

Books forever!

Geo

Geo

Geo, my friend,

I do regularly go to Oxford (and less frequently London) and am a huge fan of Blackwell's (especially the multi-shop Oxford complex)... I also regularly hit the OUP shop on High Street... but in recent years, given the way the dollar/pound rates have gone and the ease with which I can order almost all English language books at a discount, I limit my purchases in Merry Old to things I am less likely to be able to get hold of here or which just strike me as something I need to buy immediately for whatever absurd reason... That said, Blackwell's has a small but often modestly rewarding second-hand section upstairs, and on the ground floor their food and cookery department is large and very, very good... the OUP shop often has some amazing sales on specific titles and each of the last two years I've gotten a number of really excellent food-history related volumes there on deep discount (as well as some linguistics books).

French book-culture is magnificent in its own idiosyncratic ways... the fact that they held on to the uncut format so long is something I really love... the time-consuming but oddly pleasant task of cutting open the pages of a book... lol... I really enjoy that (esp. while sipping a nice glass of beer or wine)...

On a sad note, Chicago lost its one real foreign language bookshop back in September, Europa Books (a branch of Schoenfelds)... very sad to see that one go... a great source for books in several languages, including some cookbooks...cookery was never a real specialty there but still, over the years, I made some nice purchases of cooking-related texts there...

Luckily, the extraordinary Seminary-Coop/57th Street Books/Newberry shop remains a world class resource for all manner of books in Chicago, with the cookery section in the 57th St. branch being of particular relevance here on LTH...

A

For years I'd been avoiding the sad reconstruction of Maxwell Street and the bland strip of shops and restaurants on Halsted. In June I finally broke down and stopped to check out the new Powell's. Nice store, even if it lacks the atmosphere (and stock for that matter) of a real used book store.

Antonius wrote:There's a lunch-place that one accesses through the store itself, "Pitabelly" (apparently, the use of 'belly' in a compound has not yet been copyrighted)... I haven't tried it yet but wouldn't mind doing so sometime if I'm hanging out in the bookstore...

Pitabelly is no more.



Ghareeb Nawaz opened a new restaurant on Tuesday.



The menu is similar to the original (though somewhat smaller) and the prices are the same (ie, cheap). The large doorway between the two businesses remains open so Powell's has become one of the best-smelling bookstores anywhere.

Ghareeb Nawaz Express
807 W Roosevelt Rd
Chicago
312-433-0123

I know. A Jamba Juice over by where Jim's and the discount suit stores were. Local bookstore/Indo-Pak BBQ is a surprising turn in the right direction.

Antonius wrote

To be able to look over a shelf and discover titles you never knew existed or whose existence had decades ago slipped out of your consciousness... to pick those books up and flip through them... to feel them in your hand and get a sense of how a given volume will fit in your bookbag or coat pocket, etc. etc. etc.

Well said.

The Internet for all it's utility cannot reproduce the sensual experience of bookstore browsing. Also, as Antonius points out so nicely, a real bookstore has the practical advantage of serendipity. Again, the Internet has not been able to duplicate that.

Finally, there is the practical / social aspect that you can actually talk to people about books. Depending on the store, you may be able to ask someone about a particular book and how it compares to others in its field.

One of the great disappointments of Internet book shopping is that on-line descriptions are so bare, usually limited to a brief physical description. There is rarely discussion of a book's contents or significance.

This is a sad result of the need for book-slaves to bang out hordes of descriptions quickly for posting on book sites. Also, any bookseller who took the time to research and explain why a particular book is interesting or worthwhile would find his/her description quickly copied (stolen) by others and the competitive advantage of that effort would disappear in short order. Thus, real book descriptions are limited to a tiny number of rare and expensive works sold by specialists to a small market of collectors.

Antonius wrote:

On a sad note, Chicago lost its one real foreign language bookshop back in September, Europa Books (a branch of Schoenfelds)... very sad to see that one go... a great source for books in several languages, including some cookbooks...cookery was never a real specialty there but still, over the years, I made some nice purchases of cooking-related texts there...

A

That was a shock, stopping by there to find it closed and dusty and empty.

There's still a branch of Schoenhof's out in Skokie though. (8124 Ridgeway Avenue)

Roger Ramjet wrote:There's still a branch of Schoenhof's out in Skokie though. (8124 Ridgeway Avenue)

Roger,

Is that an actual retail shop in Skokie or their warehouse?... I remember that when they were closing the shop in the city up, they said on their website that there would still be a wareouse here and internet business... or at least that's what I remember... But if they still have a retail place in Skokie, I'll definitely visit them...

A

Antonius wrote:

Roger Ramjet wrote:There's still a branch of Schoenhof's out in Skokie though. (8124 Ridgeway Avenue)

Roger,

Is that an actual retail shop in Skokie or their warehouse?... I remember that when they were closing the shop in the city up, they said on their website that there would still be a wareouse here and internet business... or at least that's what I remember... But if they still have a retail place in Skokie, I'll definitely visit them...

A

It's a "warehouse" per the sign on the door when I dropped by that day only to find them gone. I can't remember the exact wording, but it was such as to make me think people could go and shop there. But is it possible to wander around and browse the selection? Or would you have to ask for a particular book & they bring it to you, I don't know.

I went by the old location today and, oh, good news, the replacement for one of Chicago's best bookstores is going to be ... a "New Age Nail Salon". Yay.

I still miss Kroch's & Brentano's.