A group of Shorewood, Whitefish Bay and North Shore community activists plans to open and operate a cooperative bookstore, to be located in Shorewood. The group is still looking for a location, but ideally they hope to move into the former Harry W. Schwartz location at 4093 N. Oakland Ave.
"It will be a bookstore for the community, created by the community," said organizer Keith Schmitz. "The closing of the Harry W. Schwartz bookstore on Oakland Avenue created a big void in the community. It’s a void we plan to close. We see it as an important quality of life issue."
The new store, to be known as as Open Book, is expected to open by this fall. Open Book will offer new books, including a children’s section, as well as a limited quantity of quality used books, magazines and books on CD, all at competitive prices. Open Book will also provide customer searches for hard-to-find titles.
The group’s preliminary business plan calls for a quality store with a comfortable atmosphere that promotes browsing, exploration and community involvement, said store manager Lisa Zupke, who previously managed the Schwartz store on Oakland.
Open Book will be more than just a bookstore, Zupke said. "We want it to be a community gathering place where friends and neighbors meet for coffee, and small groups hold meetings. That’s something the community sorely needs."
"It’s an area chock-full of literate people who understand the importance of a local independent bookstore in the community, and who choose to support well-run local businesses," said Kit Vernon, a retired marketing executive in Shorewood.
The organizers plan to use the 3,500- to 4,000-square-foot space as a store, a café/coffee shop, office and storage. The store’s inventory will be tailored for the market, based on Zupke’s local experience. Open Book will also host special events such as author readings, children’s story hours, music and book clubs.
Open Book will be a limited liability corporation, run on a cooperative model much like the Outpost stores, REI and the Green Bay Packers. Cooperative members will help provide start-up capital and operating funding with their memberships. They will receive discounts on purchases and an annual dividend when possible, plus invitations to special events.
In the past month since the group has been planning, it has attracted nearly 400 people who have expressed interest in becoming co-op members.
