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Belleville Books, Belleville, IL
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I’ve been on this journey now for about 10 years and over 600 bookstores so not surprisingly, I’ve had a few coincidental experiences. One such experience happened here at Belleville Books, a newly opened indie in a historical downtown building not even three months old. Steve M. and Rob E. are the co-owners here and within the first 5 minutes Rob reminded me that our paths had crossed at King’s English Bookstore in Salt Lake City. Not sure how much we interacted then but I was astounded that he remembered I was there. This was the stepping-off point at an excellent new bookstore that will soon have widespread recognition.
I’ve been following Belleville Books ever since they opened, but let me tell you that book-thirsty Belleville customers have been following them long before that. They started selling books successfully way before opening their doors, an excellent jump start for the business and increasing a growth in regulars by selling online. Steve and Rob were pestered for weeks about opening. This town was finally going to have an independent bookstore and the community was ready. Once they opened, the dam burst and the tide of business has not let up. These owners have been overwhelmingly welcomed and as Rob said, so far everything they’ve tried has turned out pretty good. The bookstore has the advantage of Rob and his years of bookstore experience at King’s English as well as Barnes & Noble making the store opening a smooth transition.
The bookstore’s interior is my favorite part. An old bank that required much renovation, especially with the store’s ceiling. Excellent organization and spacing that offers new and used books, a wide variety of sidelines, and collectible and vintage editions. Currently, they are taking used books only as donations but you will receive a coupon for a discounted store purchase. Keep in mind you can also purchase books from them online, something that is off to a great start. Some of their best sidelines are puzzles and stickers but I was really impressed with some of their store merch.
Story time? Yes. Family story time? Yes. Events? Yes. Book clubs? Yes. Yoga? Yes. Wait, what? That’s right. They have a perfect space for this event and heck, you might as well glance around for your next book while you’re there.
I know many in Belleville already know about this terrific bookstore in downtown on Main St. This store has big things ahead so beat the rush before the cat is totally out of the bag. Your first visit here won’t be your last. Congrats Rob, Steve, AND Belleville. Go to an indie and buy a book. Bonsoir.
JUST FINISHED: All The Colors of The Dark, Chris Whitaker. A popular high school girl escapes an abduction when she is rescued by Patch, a one-eyed kid. Instead of the girl, Patch is abducted and is held hostage in a basement with no light whatsoever, trapped with a girl named Grace who he cannot see because of the darkness. They eventually escape thanks to Patch's friend Saint, and Patch vows to find Grace wherever she is and find out what has happened. This begins the long journey that spans decades and an obsession for Patch that follows him through adulthood, at the expense of everything else in his life. At times nonsensical and the sentences were sometimes hard to understand, like they were missing something. Also, a bit on the long side.
CURRENTLY READING: Nail's Crossing, Kris Lackey.
RECENTLY PURCHASED: The I Wonder Bookstore, Shinsuke Yoshitake. Kazuko: Sixth Grade in World War II Hiorshima, Kazuko Blake, with Sandra Vega. Courage Is Calling, Ryan Holiday.
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The ancestor of the Belleville Books historic space.
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A stately and dignified store front.
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View looking into the store from the front entrance.
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View looking to the right from the front entrance and behind the checkout counter.
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Looking to the left from the entrance. Behind that green wall is a beautiful children's section.
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How many of the local customers know what became of this space after the bank? One of the answers is this financial company you see on this souvenir plate.
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I love this word of the day but I'll always associate it with the name Helen.
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Take a few steps into the store and curl around to the left and you'll get this overview of the children's area.
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Rob is responsible for much of the creativity found throughout the store. This one is in the children's section.
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This store has bargain buys for the kids.
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Very cool book ends.
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More events.
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An overview of the right side of the store.
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A very creative book tree. Way to go Rob!
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Just a few of the Lincoln books offered.
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I'm not sure I've been to a bookstore that has offered their own store fan.
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Looking across the store to the left side.
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Display and section of sports books underneath a top shelf of sidelines.
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Appropriate bookish gift boxes, perfect for a book lover.
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Beautiful table display of leather bound classics.
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The large, extremely heavy door that is open to allow you into the vault.
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Vault entrance, installed in 1912.
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Looking into the vault and to the left. Excellent use of the vault space.
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In the back of the store and looking into a room on the right, the Regency Room.
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Find a wide selection of jewelry books in the Regency Room.
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In the very back of the building is this spacious area that could be used for many things. For now, this is where they have yoga class.
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This large conference room is upstairs in the back of the building and another great space that offers flexibility for many things. This is the perfect room for noisy book clubs!
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Overview of the store looking from the back toward the front entrance.
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Large print books offered in bundles making them a great buy.
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With Rob in the center and Steve on the right, the two fine co-owners at Belleville Books. Thanks for a great visit.
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