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A literacy org cuts the ribbon on its new facility.
At a time when many bookstores and nonprofits are fighting for their lives, literacy nonprofit Open Books is tripling its size with a state-of-the-art, 15,000-square-foot literacy center. This weekend marks the grand opening of the quirky organization’s old River North home at 213 West Institute Place. The party includes children’s programming, author readings and a “Story Bus.” The main event, however, is the unveiling of the three-story center. It is the manifestation of a dream that started only three-and-a-half years ago in executive director Stacy Ratner’s basement (we first encountered the organization when they picked up a load of donated books back in 2006).
“We’ve been incredibly lucky to meet the right people, to meet the right partners, to have an idea that was at the right time,” Ratner says. “Literacy is a brand that everyone can get behind.”
With five start-up businesses in her portfolio, the Wilmette native is more of a pragmatist than a dreamer. Yet she dyes her bangs blue, wears Chuck Taylors, and has written seven novels in seven months across seven years of National Novel Writing Month. Her drive and passion infuse every aspect of Open Books, from its neat, vibrant website to the bookstore.
“A huge part of our success is that we just do,” says Becca Keaty, who is the director of marketing and public relations and helped Ratner launch Open Books. She’s also an M-16-toting saxophonist in the Wisconsin National Guard. “We’re not afraid of shaking up the nonprofit model. This is the outcome of being excited with your whole heart about something.”
Just as Open Books changed the model for nonprofits into something that can be both “fun and fundamental,” as Ratner likes to say, the bookstore is not the stuff of dusty shelves and creeping cats. It’s a rainbow-hued literary Wonka Wonderworld.
The chest-high bookshelves—about 200 of them painted in solid primary colors—are set on wheels so the shelves can be reconfigured for events. The ductwork and joists of the old Schwinn bicycle factory are exposed, giving it a loft-like openness. The soft light from the northwesterly windows complementsthe artsy flourishes throughout the store, from a dangling book cloud to a giant tree replete with inlaid benches in the children’s corner. There’s a small stage, a literacy lounge, and a pavilion with startling literacy statistics—37 percent of Chicagoans can’t read a book to a grade-schooler—that serve the mission of Open Books.
“We want Open Books to be the hub for the literacy movement,” says Erin Walter, the literacy director and bassist for indie-rock band The Hidden Mitten.
Though Open Books has amassed more than 300,000 usable books, it has already built its rep on innovative programming. It draws from a pool of 2,300 volunteers and a tireless team of interns to run programs such as Open Books Buddies, where volunteers read one-on-one with students at their schools, and the We Write workshops primarily for ESL adults.
The bookstore is the showcase, however, and what Ratner and her eight full-timers hope will become the main source of revenue. Until now, Open Books has relied on personal investment, donations from friends and family, grants and donated books.
The bookstore holds more than 50,000 books, priced at less than half of the cover price, ranging from $5–$8. The numbers are impressive, the bookstore is spectacular, but it’s the mission that matters. You’ll be reminded on the way out with a quote from Chicago bookseller Adolph Kroch: “We are a nation of givers. Let us booksellers help America to become a nation of readers.”
Open Books opens shop this weekend.
