Weaving through the shelves of The Book Cellar, you’ll find classics, cookbooks, crime and — as corny as it may be — some comfort. You can browse merchandise and board books with one hand and swirl a glass of wine in the other as you explore this unique Lincoln Square bookstore.
The space, full of books and wine, provides a reliable place to unwind, work or socialize. The store is known as a community staple thanks to its devoted owner and the events she hosts almost daily in the store.
Suzy Takacs opened her bookstore in 2003. For over twenty years she’s held hundreds of on- and off-site events from 10-100 people. Takacs finds her events to be one of the most rewarding parts of her job. When reflecting on her bigger events, Takacs said despite the stress it can cause, she would “100%” agree to do an event that large again as soon as tomorrow.
After hosting Jeff Kinney last October during his “Hot Mess” book tour, Takacs was grateful for the help she had from her internal circle, which made the event go smoothly. Specifically, the help from one of her book representatives, Mark Fleeman.
“Well, thank God Mark was there for many reasons,” Takacs said. “As booksellers, we’re used to stacking up the books and paging them and sliding them … but we kind of need manpower for that, you need less manpower if there’s a community.”
She’s also formed a close bond with other independent book sellers in Chicago, one she describes as “really tight,” often held together by Fleeman.
“Mark sees all my friends that have bookstores. He keeps us updated on each other because it’s a busy job. You get sucked in and spit out,” Takacs said.
Fleeman is happy to be part of that Chicago bookstore community, larger than some of the other areas he works with, such as Indiana.
“I think there’s 29, which is a lot of independent bookstores,” Fleeman said. “There might be more … You know, it’s Chicago, you can draw from so much.”
Not only is there a community built between Takacs and those she works with directly, there’s another between the cellar’s open doors and the neighborhood.
Chicago resident Omero Garcia’s gym is right down the street, causing him to pass The Book Cellar almost every day. Garcia can vouch that the store events are a success, often seeing crowds through the front window. Despite not attending an event himself, he enjoys the store’s ambiance.
“Usually they draw people in, they really do,” Garcia said. “I’ve been in here before, it’s got a good vibe.”
One of the people who were drawn in was Noel Villa. Villa lives in Andersonville, not far from the store. He had ventured to a The Book Cellar event for an author dialogue with Courtney Lund O’Neil, author of “Postmortem,” and writer David Nelson, author of “Boys Enter the House.” Both novels covered John Wayne Gacy, which O’Neil and Nelson discussed with the audience.
Villa was in attendance to support Nelson, but also found himself intrigued by the event and the store itself.
“I am a big fan of true crime,” Villa said. “This is my first time here, I love it.”
The Book Cellar’s events cater to a range of different people, hosting a variety of book clubs to author discussions on every genre.
Fleeman and Takacs had their first book discussion at her dining room table. As her dog, Fairway, laid atop his feet, they discussed her order. Her store wasn’t ready to open at that point, but Takacs was excited to jump in and begin purchasing books.
Takacs has continued to stay one step ahead through global pandemics, adjusting quickly to promote online sales via her website and create a no-contact pick up system.
Her “book cart,” where customers can grab their online order nestled next to the front door, has survived to this day. Takacs says her customers love it, and she doesn’t see herself being able to get rid of it anytime soon.
It was through that same pandemic where Takacs community stuck with her, donating almost $60,000 to her GoFundMe allowing the store to stay up and running through a time where there weren’t enough small business loans to go around and normalcy was a distant memory. While it felt like time had stopped, bills didn’t. With the help of almost 1,000 people, The Book Cellar prevailed.
April 26 is National Independent Bookstore Day. Don’t hesitate to hit the cellar as a part of your Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl. While there may not be a cask of amontillado on the premises, it’s a safe bet you may be able to find some Poe on the shelves — and potentially a glass of sherry to go with it.
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