Exile in Bookville co-owners Javier Ramirez and Kristin Enola Ramirez have been named Chicagoans of the Year in Books by the Chicago Tribune, which reported that what they "have built on Michigan Avenue feels like a cool secret. And that, in fact, was the idea. They built a small business, which, now three years later, is an influential one, its tendrils entwined with both the Chicago book community and the indie music ecosystem.... The Ramirezes wanted a bookstore exuding warmth, and they got it back tenfold."
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| Javier Ramirez and Kristin Enola Ramirez | |
In an Instagram post, the owners noted, in part: "We are so, so, so incredibly honored to be included in the select list of those named as Chicagoans of the Year by the @chicagotribune in 2024!... We want to give a big hug to our beautiful building and the humans who make our home so special here at the @fineartsbuilding!
"Exile, while officially just the two of us, is the product of so many. Exile grows a little every day from your contributions and presence. From the authors and translators who write and translate the books we stock and the publishers who publish them. From the authors we host at Exile to the readers who attend their events. From our fellow bookselling friends from all over the country to our publicists and reps. From our family and friends to our beloved Travis and Jeanine at UPS and USPS, respectively. From our friends who work the store in our absence and to those same friends who work the register while we are busy making cocktails. And to our dear customers who support us near and far. We think of you all more as friends than customers and we truly have the best friends! So, really, when you look at Exile, you'll see many Chicagoans of the Year. This honor is yours as much as it is ours."