Prairie Avenue Bookstore

Over the weekend of June 12-14 I was in Windy City for the Chicago Blues Festival, where I stayed at the very nice Youth Hostel in the loop for the entire weekend. My first time heading out to the festival, which involved only a 10 minutes walk from the hostel to Grant Park, I noticed this stately little bookstore called Prairie Avenue Bookstore, a store specializing in books on architecture.

Entering the store, I was a little nervous, not terribly so, but just a tad since architecture is a topic about which I know very little. You can tell as soon as you enter the store that Pabook knows architecture. The books in display cases lining the entrance walls vary greatly and include what I imagine are historical items and antiques, in addition to what would be more appropriate for a layperson like myself. After being asked to have my backpack held behind the front counter (it contained all my clothing, books, and travel toiletries, which would have made stealing impossible even if I were less than ethical, but I understand and agree with this common policy), I freely browsed for about 20 minutes throughout the quite extensive collection. The atmosphere of the store is very plush and elegant, with green the dominant theme, adorned with heavy wooden antique furniture. Right away I noticed that there were three main levels, the front counter level, a second larger level were the majority of books are located, and third level.

I started at the second level and browsed a good number of books. There is no doubt that this is the place to go in Chicago for anything architectural; contrary to the myth that the big boxes have "everything," stores like this are proof that it is best to start with the indies. Many of the books, like art books in general, were very colorful, big, and overall beautiful. I knew that I wouldn't be able to buy any of these books, as I was traveling light with only my backpack that was already stuffed, but I looked nonetheless for that book that would be perfect for me. Books were organized along the walls by architectural designer in some cases, along the back wall there was a section that specialized in books on specific cities. I looked for Bloomington-Normal, to no avail, but I was interested in buying this book on Tucson architecture. If I were still living there, and could see the designs in person, I would've no doubt bought it.

I next browsed the third floor landing, a very small level that contained the books out of print and antiques. The older books didn't take my attention; what did were the huge architectural portfolios and old journals, none of which I touched. I wasn't even sure if you were supposed to touch them, but even if you could, my fear would be that they would disintegrate or tear easily. These old tomes are always very mysterious and intimidating, I feel.

On the first floor, I noticed that there were many books for the specialist and layperson alike, but it catered more to the specialist. There were many new academic books, some I noticed with the focus on green design, and a variety of textbooks. When leaving, I saw somebody ask about a particular volume, no doubt an architect seeking a source for his business or work.

In the end I didn't buy a book from Prairie Avenue, which goes against the indie bookstore code of an old friend of mine: You should always buy something when visiting an indie, even something small. Of course I had the excuse of the stuffed backpack, but I probably could've bought a magazine from the rack I saw upon exiting. Well, there is always next time!

Prairie Avenue Bookstore
418 South Wabash
Chicago, Illinois 60605
800-474-2724 (Toll-Free)