| Dixon, IL Nov. 26, 1998 - Diane Markel
It's the first and only bookstore coffeehouse in Dixon. It's
Books on First and it just opened Oct.4. With a wide variety
of fiction and nonfiction books in both paperbacks and hardcovers,
Books on First is the first bookstore in downtown Dixon since
Edwards closed its doors years ago.
Books on First is a great place for people to meet and linger
for an hour or two in a coffee house atmosphere. The tall
tables and chairs allow plenty of room for people to sit or
stand and just talk. Books on First is owned by the husband
and wife team of Larry Dunphy and Carolyn Chin.
Dunphy is from Lee County, graduated from Amboy High School
and went to Northern Illinois University. His father Charlie
Dunphy was on the Lee County Board, and brother Charlie Dunphy
has just been elected to the county board. Dunphy made a career
in the food service area and lived mostly in Chicago area
before his recent return. |
Chin is from New York and went to Vassar.
It was while she was visiting a friend in Boston that she
first saw the Harvard Bookstore Café. "I walked
in and thought 'this is so cool,'" Chin said. "Then
I forgot about it until 10 years ago when I decided that's
what I wanted to do, and I persuaded Larry to do it.
"We have coming here a long time. When Larry had first
introduced me to the area, I said, 'This is it,' and so here
we are. We looked at buildings downtown and we decided we
wanted this one. It took us four years to get it."
Once the couple had the building, they remodeled and redesigned
the first floor and redesigned the outside, putting in new
windows and installing awnings. "Fortunately we had a
lot of people who believed in us. We worked hard and just
kept going," Chin said. "When we opened we got a
lot of people in who said, "Yes, Dixon needs a bookstore.
And we're more than a bookstore." |
"People seem to enjoy it," Dunphy
said. "We've tried to make it comfortable for people
to come in and spend a couple of hours." People also
come to buy the books. Self-help books are very big now, including
books on eating right and books with financial and emotional
help. People also buy thrillers, biographies, children's books,
magazines and newspapers.
Coffee selections include house and decaf choices, special
blends and flavored coffees. "We have an expresso machine
for making both cappuccino and latte. We have scones, muffins
and brownies and will be adding "chai," (a spicy
tea). We also have regular teas like Earl Grey and English
Breakfast," Dunphy said.
The music in Books on First is mellow without being intrusive
and includes jazz, folk, blues and classical selections. "I
like the idea of introducing a lot new things to Dixon,"
Dunphy said. Books on First is located at 202 W. First Street
on the corner of First and Hennepin, in downtown Dixon. The
phone number is (815) 285-BOOK (285-2665). |
