Book Smarts is a semi-regular feature in which Third Coast Review writers share their favorite Chicago-area bookstores. This month, Holly Smith explores Hyde Park's 57th Street Books.
Down the Stairs
As you walk down 57th Street, it’s hard to miss the little red walls and shingled roof affixed with a sign for 57th Street Books. If you go down just a few stairs, you’ll find a treasure trove of rooms filled with books across many genres. The open first room greets you with (mostly) newly published titles and at least one bookseller to greet you (though there are often two).
I grew up coming to 57th Street Books and have many fond memories here. While there are chairs throughout the store, I have never been too proud to just plop down on the floor with the book (or pile of books) that caught my eye.
I also worked at the store when I was fresh out of college and didn’t quite have a career path yet, but knew I loved books. While working there, I learned a lot, read books that changed my life, and made connections with fellow bookworms that I still have today.
History and Lore
I sat down with the Interim Executive Director, Daniel Mayer, to learn more about the history of the store I had grown up loving.
According to store lore, there'd been a bookstore, on and off, in 57th Street Books’s space (1301 E. 57th St.) for some time, but the space was eventually offered to Seminary Co-Op Bookstores Inc. in 1983. (The Seminary Co-Op Bookstore, located at 5751 S. Woodlawn Ave, is the other half of Seminary Co-Op Bookstores Inc.) While 57th Street Books started off with just two rooms, by the mid-'80s, the store expanded to the five it has today. In the 1960s, Seminary Co-Op Bookstores Inc. was set up as a co-op under DC law, says Mayer, because Chicago did not have a good way to set up a co-op. However, this structure stopped serving the stores, so in 2018, the Seminary Co-Op Bookstores Inc. became a nonprofit (this time under Illinois law).
Nerdy Community Third Space
“The importance is to be a community resource and a community third space,” Mayer continued, also indicating the store's location—not far from the University of Chicago's main quad—allows 57th Street Books to help bridge the gap between the university and the rest of the community. He also mentioned that people gather to play Dungeons and Dragons as well as Magic: The Gathering. As a big D&D fan, I was inspired to check out future nerdy events or perhaps even propose some of my own.
The idea of 57th Street Books as a third space resonated with me. I spent many hours there reading and browsing for books and hanging out with friends and family through the years. We bonded over the books we wanted to read or attended book events together to learn more about a topic or title that spoke to us.
Focusing on Strengths
“We’re still in the final phases of recovering from the pandemic,” said Mayer candidly. In the last year, 57th Street Books has focused on its strengths as well as what the community is looking for in terms of titles. This means incorporating more "romantasy" and manga titles, as well as other genres, while shrinking (though far from eliminating) its nonfiction sections.
“We have our young writers advisory board,” mentioned Mayer; a program allowing children to receive advanced reader copies (ARCs) and write shelf-talkers for the store so there are reviews by and for kids. Continuing its focus on its children’s section, 57th Street Books has brought back its Sunday story hour on Sundays. There's talk about bringing back a Spanish story hour as well.
Future endeavors include book fairs, book giveaways, working with schools, and other ways to interact with the community. They’re on the lookout for new partnerships as well; especially ones where the bookstore helps promote literacy. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have one in mind!
57th Street Books is located at 1301 E. 57th St. Its hours and events are found on the Seminary Co-Op Bookstores Inc. website.
Holly Smith is a communications specialist with a history in publishing and the bookstore world. Now she tackles book and literary event reviews one at a time. You can read more of her book reviews at Holly Reviews, Bookman!.
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