Semicolon Bookstore starts new chapter with location on Chicago's Magnificent Mile
CHICAGO (CBS) — A Chicago bookstore dedicated to fighting the literacy gap starts a new chapter with a second store on the Magnificent Mile.
The Semicolon Bookstore was previously the only black-woman-owned bookstore in the city but has since become a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. This means the new store is now more than a local business on a big stage; it's also a way for us book-lovers to give back.
With every sale at Semicolon, the bookstore gets closer to its goal of not just selling books but giving them away.
"Listen, honey, the mission is, it has always been the mission, and it is to close the literacy gap in minoritized communities," founder and owner Danielle Moore said.
Moore says the literacy gap is an issue of access. Her solution?
"Every time somebody buys one book, we give two away, and so we close that gap by doing what's called our Clear the Shelves program, where we allow CPS students to come in and grab the books that they want off the shelves free of charge," she said.
Moore has been running her Noble Square store this way since 2019, and she has already given away more than 200,000 books. Now, she's bringing that same setup to the Mag Mile.
"So you are doing a good thing by supporting this space," she said.
It's a curated selection surrounded by reading nooks and plush sofas that coax readers to turn the page for just one more chapter.
"Semicolon loves being a third space in the city of Chicago. So we are super excited to have people in," Moore said.
And all 5,000 square feet of it came together in about two months.
"The Mag Mile association came to us in May and asked how quickly we could make it happen, and we made it happen," Moore said.
Kimberly Bares is the president and the CEO of the Magnificent Mile Association.
"It started with the city of Chicago unveiling a storefront activation grant program to which we applied," Bares said.
This is the second time the association has received city funds to bolster the Mag Mile, and this time, they knew exactly what they were looking for.
"We knew that we wanted to highlight some of the best businesses that come from parts of the community or people that aren't necessarily fully represented on Michigan Avenue, and it's just it's a phenomenal experience now to have a black lesbian-owned bookstore on Michigan Avenue," Bares said.
Moore says that Semicolon is excited to be a third space downtown. It has plenty of seating and a candy bar, making it easy for people to come in and truly stay a while.
They're even hosting some events around Lollapalooza and the DNC.