Saying that "it's time for us to admit that two stores are too much for us to handle," Aaron Lippelt and Mary Gibbons are putting Pilsen Community Books, in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, up for sale and aim to concentrate on the Dial Bookshop, which they opened in the Loop in November 2017.
 |
|
In an open letter, they emphasized that "this doesn't mean the end of PCB! That's why we're writing to you today. We're looking for an aspiring bookseller who would like to purchase the store. We have a fully stocked. fully functional bookstore with a great customer base--it could be as easy as simply handing the keys over to a new owner. If you or anyone you know is interested, send us an e-mail! Serious inquiries only, please."
Lippelt and Gibbons opened Pilsen Community Books in February 2016. The 1,500-square-foot store sells new and used books, and a selection of merchandise, including T-shirts, totes, literary posters and gift cards.
The Dial Bookshop opened on the second floor of the landmark Fine Arts Building on South Michigan Ave. in space formerly occupied by Selected Works Used Books & Sheet Music. The building has a storied artistic and literary history: the transcendentalist literary magazine The Dial, edited by Margaret Fuller, was founded in the building in 1840. The Dial Bookshop has strong sales of fine arts and architecture.