Granny Bones Bookshop

Place

Granny Bones is an independent bookstore in Chicago. It's in Old Town, just west of Lincoln Park. The building is just across the street from the Green City Market Lincoln Park (which operates May - October, every Wednesday and Saturday, from 7 am to 1 pm). The shop is in a converted 3 story brownstone. Most of the staff are undergraduate or graduate literature majors at local schools (e.g., Northwestern, Loyola, U of I Chicago, etc.), which is obvious because the only employee dress code is wearing a top with a university's name (but not necessarily official apparel). Otherwise, the employees are an eclectic mix of goth, hippy, biker, prep, metalhead, and so on, complete with piercings, tattoos, ripped jeans, creased khakis, sandals, boots, torn fishnet stockings, mohawks, and so on.

That eclecticism is just the tip of the iceberg at Granny's. The seemingly-countless, bright, airy, welcoming rooms are packed floor to ceiling with grand old bookcases overflowing with best sellers, pulp fiction, coffee table books, rare editions, cookbooks, atlases, graphic novels, poetry, etc. The organization scheme defies simple explanation, and yet provided a customer is accompanied by staff, they usually find the perfect book. For those who need more time to decide, or who simply wish to linger, Granny's includes a charming, clean, affordable, fair-trade coffee shop. Cozy chairs, a friendly fireplace, and an unpredictable menu of themed drinks and baked goods await.

Perhaps needless to say, Granny Bones sings with old and powerful magic.