Rebecca Lewis opened The Pile Bookstore, 7117 Roosevelt Road, Feb. 2. Though technically in Berwyn, The Pile is just across Roosevelt Road from Forest Park.
“We’ve had a lot of people walking over because we’re so close to it,” Lewis said of Forest Park residents.
Lewis was previously an office manager at a dental office and, after helping run another business, wanted to open her own. Plus, she realized that Berwyn didn’t have a bookstore, and South Forest Park didn’t either. Lewis wanted to fix that, and even more so after attending a book swap in the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago, where participants talked about books and recommended them to one another.
“That’s what a bookstore should be, somewhere that you can meet and gather and talk about these things,” Lewis said.
This is why Lewis opened a coffee shop inside the bookstore. There, guests can buy drip coffee and cold brew from Kribi Coffee while they browse the store. The coffee shop also sells pastries from Turano Baking Company and, on Sundays, from Insanely Awesome Bakery, a pop-up based in Berwyn.
The Pile has already hosted a handful of events. It’s open Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a book club from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The first Saturday of the month is a book club about banned books. The second is for books that were turned into movies, and the third Saturday of the month is a book club for high schoolers, where they choose what to read.
On April 13, the Forest Park Theatre is doing a reading of Jane Eyre at The Pile. The day after, The Pile will host a live recording for the podcast Get Lit. To celebrate Earth Day, on April 21, The Pile will offer family-friendly craft making with recycled materials, along with a story time from local author-illustrator team James Boland and Richard Flatley (The Pile also has a local author section) who have written about how climate change affects sea turtles and polar bears.
“I really want it to be that kind of space where everybody can come together for something specific, but also fun,” Lewis said. “I want it to be something for everyone.”
Lewis said the first few weeks of business were the best for the bookstore, and it’s remained steady since.
“People were really excited. They all came out for our opening,” Lewis said. “I’m seeing new faces all the time, being introduced to new people all the time.”
She added, “it’s already starting to be a third space for a lot of people.”