Bernie's Book Bank to Move From Lake Forest to Lake Bluff

Bernie’s Book Bank, Chicagoland’s leading provider of new and gently used books for children, will move from Lake Forest to a space seven times the size at 917 North Shore Drive in Lake Bluff in November.

The 35,000-square-foot facility features a large processing center, flexible event and exhibit space and storage for 700 pallets of books.

“The expanded facility is central to revolutionizing the way unutilized children’s books, new and used, can be distributed to children who need them,” said Bernie’s Book Bank Founder Brian Floriani. “We believe owning and reading books is the primary vehicle on the road to a better life.”

To more than 110,000 at-risk Chicagoland children, Bernie’s Book Bank delivers 12 age-appropriate, quality books each year from birth through sixth grade from their current location at 28101 Ballard Dr. in Lake Forest.

The new center will be able to accommodate up to 125 volunteers at a time.

A variety of flexible meeting spaces will be available for corporate groups, workshops, community events and private functions accommodating from 10 to 300 guests. Event areas can be expanded into the book processing area by opening large doors.

The book processing center has raised $3 million out of a $5 million goal in a comprehensive campaign to cover capital improvements and the operating budget required to meet the objective of serving all 300,000 estimated at-risk children in the Chicagoland area. AbbVie, Wintrust, The Gorter Family Foundation, The Hunter Family Foundation and The Alvin Baum Family Fund have contributed the $3 million already raised.

Photo: From left, Bernie’s Book Bank Chairman of the Board Barrett Davie, Founder Brian Floriani and Lake Bluff Village President Kathleen O’Hara.