The Book Loft will open next month in Oak Park, Ill., in a storefront that previously housed the Book Table, the Wednesday Journal reported.
Co-owners Heather Nelson and Sophie Schauer Eldred have an opening date set for August 16. The 3,000-square-foot bookstore, at 1047 Lake St., will sell general-interest titles for all ages. It will have a special children's section called "the roost," related to the bookstore's owl mascot. The owners plan to do outreach with local teachers and librarians, and they've been talking to other local businesses about possible collaborations.
Schauer Eldred and Nelson have lived in Oak Park and been close friends for 20 years. The closure of the Book Table at the end of 2024, after more than two decades in business, inspired them to open a business and begin giving back to the community.
"It was a little bit based on a dream of both of ours," Nelson, whose family owns a bookstore in Florida, told the Wednesday Journal. "When we started to really think about it, it was fulfilling something for both of us, and we both are really committed to the community."
The owners noted that the Oak Park community has been very welcoming and helpful throughout the opening process.
"It's made us even more giddy and just thrilled to enter this community," Schauer Eldred added.