The pandemic triggered a resurgence in reading. So it’s sad that our area has lost two bookstores: Centuries & Sleuths here in Forest Park and The Book Table in Oak Park. To save us from becoming a “book desert,” however, The Pile Bookstore has opened at 7117 Roosevelt Road in Berwyn. It’s already luring Forest Park residents to travel a few blocks east of Harlem Avenue to get their literary fix.
The store was founded by Rebecca Lewis and matches her vision of what a bookstore should be. The Pile sells new books and gives customers store credit for used books. It also serves lovely coffee and desserts. It’s a safe and welcoming space for everyone.
Books were what first attracted Rebecca. Growing up in St. Louis, she had a favorite tree stump where she sat and read. While her contemporaries found adventure playing video games, Rebecca found adventure in the pages of novels.
She explored music as well, earning her bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance at the New England Conservatory of Music. She still aspires to become a coloratura soprano, but singing has taken a backseat to running the bookstore.
After she earned her degree, Rebecca settled in Boston for seven years. There she met her husband, Dan, who is a composer and percussionist. Today, he is the bookstore’s bookkeeper. After the couple moved to Berwyn in 2020, they had discovered something was missing: a community-minded bookstore.
Rebecca was the manager of a dental office at the time and researching to start her own business. She found there had been recent growth in bookstores and this fit her notion of an ideal business. The couple took over the space of a wheelchair store and made some aesthetic changes — replacing the fluorescent lights was a priority.
After installing new bookcases on every wall, they added a coffee bar and created a small sitting area in the front for book signings, etc. They recently hosted a Q&A with author Mia Manansala to discuss Arsenic & Adobe and other novels in her “Rosie’s Kitchen” mystery series.
The Pile also hosts book club meetings every Saturday. In addition, Rebecca holds off-site events, like a discussion with bestselling author Johnathan Eig. He talked about his groundbreaking biography, King: A Life, at the Nineteenth Century Club. This had been arranged by the owners of The Book Table, who are graciously referring their author events to Rebecca.
The Pile is presenting all kinds of events free to the public. She has art teacher Corrine Miller providing projects on watercolors, stained glass and collages. The store also has a section for kids. It features stuffed animals and other stocking stuffers for the 12-and-under-crowd.
In keeping with the holiday spirit, there will be Christmas Movie Trivia Night, on Dec. 6, from 6-7:30. Local author Neal Fischer will provide questions based on his “Christmas Movie Ultimate Trivia Book.” They will even have peppermint syrup to add to your coffee or hot chocolate.
On a more somber note, author Jaclyn Garver will do a reading, signing and discussion of her novel Then, Again on Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. The book contains two timelines: a woman’s first love and her marriage to a husband who is in a coma.
All these events reflect Rebecca’s attempts to build community through her bookstore. Like many others, the pandemic prompted her to choose a new direction where her work is meaningful and her bookstore contributes to her community. She also enjoys the hit-or-miss process of learning what customers want.
To think, it all started with a tree stump — and a girl who loved to read.
