Bookends & Beginnings Opens Saturday in Old Bookman’s Alley Space

Bookends & Beginnings, a new independent bookstore owned by long-time Evanston residents, opens Saturday in the former Bookman’s Alley space at 1712 Sherman Ave.

The store, which wants to become a gathering place for the book-loving community, is owned by Nina Barrett, a writer and radio personality, and her husband, Jeff Garrett, a retired academic librarian.

The store is inviting customers to name their “top three” books, a list they’ll also collect from visiting authors and staff, and use for displays in the store.

What are your top three books? Share your favorites in the comment section.

Below are details from the store on its opening day festivities:

Evanston’s new independent bookstore Bookends & Beginnings opens its doors this week with a celebration of books and reading called “My Top Three.”

“Right off the bat, we want to start a conversation with our customers about what they feel most passionate about reading,” says owner Nina Barrett. “So we’re inviting anyone who comes to the grand opening to share a list of their three favorite books.”

Her husband and business partner Jeff Garrett adds, “We’ll be collecting these lists

on an ongoing basis from our staff, from visiting authors, from public personalities, and of course from customers, and using them as inspiration for displays and events in the store.”

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 12, Evanston Mayor

Elizabeth Tisdahl and First Ward Alderman Judy Fiske will help kick off the celebration by revealing their own My Top Three lists.

When Bookends & Beginnings opens to the public on Saturday, June 14, any customer who fills out a My Top Three list during grand opening weekend (Saturday and Sunday) will be entered into a raffle for one of three prizes:

A $100 gift certificate to Bookends & Beginnings.

A necklace-and-earring set from Die Kunstwerkstatt Berlin, the line of unique handcrafted jewelry created by Frauke Löhr that Bookends & Beginnings exclusively imports from Germany.

A beautiful book box in the shape of a leather-bound classic from Enchanted Boxes of Cambridge, Mass.

Winners will be selected in a drawing the following week by Evanston Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Elaine Kemna-Irish.

In addition, the first 40 families who come in on Saturday, June 14, with a child under the age of two will receive a free copy of a new board book by Tokyo artist Yusuke Yonezu, We Love Each Other, published by Michael Neugebauer Editions.

Bookends & Beginnings will carry a wide selection of new, sale-priced, and gently used books, with special opening displays highlighting graduation and Father’s Day gifts. The store is located in the former Bookman’s Alley space, behind Saville Flowers, at 1712 Sherman Avenue in Evanston.

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