THE THORN WORDS

Independent bookstores were faced with challenges in 2013, with the increased use of Kindle and at the ravenous feet of Amazon. Or so it seemed. Assyrian-American and Lake Bluff resident Eleanor Thorn— the bookkeeper at the Lake Forest Book Store for a year and a half before buying it from Sue Boucher nearly 10 years ago—looked up at mammoth Amazon in 2013 and has yet to blink.

“The support we’ve received from Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, our neighboring suburbs, as well as Chicagoans who stop by on the weekends, has been tremendous and wonderful,” says Thorn, whose store also sells toys, gifts, stationery, and home décor products at her shop on Western Avenue. “It was sad to see Borders and other chain bookstores having to close years ago. Local bookstores have had to reinvent themselves to figure out ways to improve the bottom line. I did that by featuring books and gifts in both our window and inside displays. We like to change our displays often, so we can rotate merchandise to make the store visually appealing for our customers, so they keep coming back. Look at all the other items surviving Barnes & Noble stores are now selling these days; maybe we taught them something.”

But Thorn has relied on more than resiliency and steadfastness and innovation to help the Lake Forest Book Store—founded in 1949, by a consortium of 12 women—sustain its success. Smiles and warm welcomes and unwavering attentiveness have been invaluable assets, too. Thorn’s knowledgeable, well-read staff unleashes all the above—daily. And each staff member gets to do so in a setting that often doubles as an impromptu gathering place where people catch up with friends and neighbors. “We get to know our customers quite well, and we know what they like to read,” says Thorn, whose dynamic workforce includes her youngest daughter, Jackie. “The women who work with me are amazing; I couldn’t ask for a better group. I have had some hard times growing up in my life and never in my wildest dreams thought I would be here today as the owner of this wonderful store. I have been blessed.”

The Lake Forest Book Store is located at 662 North Western Avenue in Lake Forest. For more information, call 847-234-4420 or visit lakeforestbookstore.com.