Group Calls To Support Bookie's After Thieves Stole Cash

CHICAGO, IL — The final Saturday in April is Independent Bookstore Day, in which book lovers across the nation will support independently owned book retailers. An added emphasis has been added locally in Beverly after the neighborhood's longtime indie bookseller was a victim of a theft last month.

The Southwest Chicago Diversity Collaborative, a group that advocates for racial, educational and economic justice and has supported a number of community events to support local small businesses, is organizing "Buy A Book At Bookie's Day" on April 28. That's the date of Independent Bookstore Day this year.

“Bookie’s owner Keith Lewis is a member of SCDC, but he’s also someone who brings diverse ideas and authors into our neighborhood,” said Milissa McClaire Gary, board member of the Southwest Chicago Diversity Collaborative. “After the recent theft, we felt like we needed to offer our support for everything he’s doing.”

On March 30, two thieves entered the store at 10324 S. Western Ave. during business hours and stole cash in what the Bookie's Facebook page referred to as a "non-violent robbery."

"They walked back and forth outside casing places for over 15 minutes, maybe longer," the store wrote in announcing the theft. "One of them was in a neighboring business, and I’m hoping they got more video. They also walked in and out of the store multiple times. They were certainly watching and working as a team. They got money."

Nobody was hurt in the theft, according to the Facebook post. Images from a surveillance video were shared, which showed semi-clear views of the offenders' faces.

"They took no books," the store wrote in response to one inquiry. Just cash, before fleeing in a black car with tinted windows.

The SCDC encourages neighborhood residents and other small business supporters to buy a book at the store between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., their regular business hours, on April 28.

It may be the first time for some in the neighborhood or surrounding suburbs to see the business' new and improved space. A longtime staple at the building mostly occupied by a 7-Eleven between Western and Artesian on 103rd Street, Bookie's moved into a space almost three times as big on Western Avenue last year.

"SCDC encourages members of the community to visit Bookie’s with friends and family, browse their selection of new and used books and purchase books to demonstrate their support of neighborhood small businesses," the group wrote in a news release.

Complete with a large sign facing the major neighborhood thoroughfare, the inside of Bookie's includes a much larger section for children's books and an area for author talks among other features.

READ MORE: Look Inside Bookie's New Space On Western Avenue

Patch file photo / Tim Moran