Semicolon Books in Chicago, Ill., has reopened as a nonprofit bookstore after a temporary closure, WGN9 reported.
Earlier this year, store owner Danielle Mullen announced that she would be switching to a nonprofit model in order better to fulfill the store's mission of supporting literacy and public schools. Before the switch, Mullen noted at the time, all of those efforts were funded by book sales, and when sales slowed over the past year, so did those programs. Now Semicolon has access to grants and other forms of funding.
During the temporary closure, Mullen added more tables and chairs to the store and did some other remodeling. She plans to continue the store's existing literacy programs while establishing new ones.
Mullen founded Semicolon in Chicago's River West neighborhood in 2019. In 2021, she moved the store to a new space in Wicker Park but returned to the original home in 2022 after buying the building.
"We are known for our commitment to bridge the literacy gap among minoritized communities," Mullen told WGN9.