Stop Signs

by Rick Kogan

Sunday Tribune Magazine

October 17,2004

 Some suggestions for getting away from the chains

Many of you reading this were born B.B.-- Before Borders-- and so remember the intimate joys of neighborhood bookstores. They were once all over, and though the number of independent bookstores is shrinking, there remain a surprising numver of them tucked into towns, suburbs and the cities, most run by people who know the difference between F. Scott Fitzgerald, Frances Fitzgerald and Dick Francis. Here are some favorites: The Bookstall, 811 Elm St. in Winnetka; Burke's Books, 116 Main St. in Park Ridge; Barbara's, at various locations; Quimby's, 1854 W. North Ave.; Sandmeyer's, 714 S. Dearborn St.;  Transitions, 1000 W. North's Ave.; Unabridged Books, 3251 N. Broadway; Children in Paradise, 909 N. Rush St.; Women & Children in Paradise, 5233 N. Clark St. ; and Books on 1st, 202 W. 1st St. in Dixon. And if you are one of those who take off for Florida in the winter, we highly recommend a trip to Sarasota News & Books. Run with loving care by former Chicagoan Caren Lovo, it is everything a bookstore deserves to be.