New Book Joy in Brookfield, Ill., officially moved to its 3741 Prairie Ave. storefront in May, "after starting as part of the Brookfield Shops' first retail incubation cohort," the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark reported. Mandy Genge is the sole operator of the Brookfield location, while co-owners Connie Obrochta and Therese Tanski run the New Book Joy store in the Edgebrook neighborhood on the Northwest Side of Chicago.
Genge said she connects readers from all over the area with their next read: "I call it 'book matchmaking.' " She has taught high school English for two decades, and said she uses her background in education to encourage "empowerment through books and conversations through books."
In addition to books in various genres, New Book Joy stocks a large selection of children's titles. Genge said she is "really intentional" about stocking books for all sorts of developmental periods and potential topics.
The shop's collection "is extensively curated; Genge said she has read around 80% of the books she stocks, which makes the matchmaking process so specific," Riverside-Brookfield Landmark noted.
Karen Judge, a fellow teacher at Morton West high school, often stops by the shop while walking her dog and recently attended the bookstore's "Back to School" event, where community members could browse, chat, and enjoy drinks. "There's so much fun stuff here," Judge said, joking the store is "more dangerous now, because they just got a liquor license and they're doing a happy hour sit and read."
Genge "hosts such events regularly, including book clubs, book swaps, and book slams, where people recommend books to one another," Riverside-Brookfield Landmark added. Genge hopes to attract readers of all ages and backgrounds through her community events.