Book Store Offers Vintage Goods, Community Convos

As the afternoons grow darker faster, Winnekta streets shine bright with the addition of new business. Adding to the glow is the newly-opened Round Table Books. The store's Nov. 18 opening party and ribbon cutting drew around 100 people in from the fall chill.

“People have literally been banging on the door to take a look inside,” Arthur Frank, proprietor and managing partner of Round Table, said of the community’s reaction in the weeks before the opening. “I felt good about this neighborhood.  I think people are ready for this type of store.”

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Round Table Books carries used and antique books, ranging from the familiar to the extremely rare. The business, Frank said, is an outgrowth of his lifelong passion for book collecting.

“My wife got tired of all the books around the house, so we decided to get another place to put them. This is the result,” Frank said with a laugh.

The store's endless books shelves, complete with a refurbished library ladder, reflect that of a well-used study. Meanwhile a round table sits at center, providing customers with a place to meet and discuss their favorite literature.

“The store feels exactly like my home growing up,” Rebecca, Frank’s daughter, said after the ribbon-cutting.

A mixture of friends, relatives and community members mingled and explored the shelves stacked high with volumes of Dickens, Shakespeare and Gibbon. Some of the guests already knew the books, having donated or consigned vast collections to Frank.

Round Table has about 5,000 volumes on display and another 10,000 in storage. All of the books can be purchased on the shop’s website.

And despite continually challenging economic times, community members are hopeful and excited for this new type of business.

“It’s very good for all of us,” Vicki Hofstetter, owner of Winnetka boutique , said. She continued that she posted updates and advertisements for Round Table on her Facebook page. “I don’t even mind the competition because competition means more foot traffic.”

Frank acknowledged that Winnekta and the rest of lacks the used book stores of his youth as part of his interest in opening Round Table. And he’s not the only one excited about the added variety to Winnetka’s shopping district.

“The store is something new and unique for Winnetka,” Director Terry Dason said.

And as Round Table settles into the neighborhood, Frank hopes to make it more than just a book store. He envisions the space transforming into a modern-era salon developing in the midst of the volumes of books.

“I’ve been trepidatious but the community has been so supportive already. It’s heartwarming,” Frank said.

Open just in time for the beginning of the holiday shopping season, Dason thinks the shop will do well.

“I think there are more people that like nostalgia and looking back at books they grew up with in Winnetka,” Dason said. “People in Winnetka like to have everything at the their finger tips and to go to the store and pick up the book and look at it.”

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