Uncharted Books joins the Logan Square community

Uncharted Books owner, Tanner McSwain. © W. Tanner Young 2012

In 2011 we witnessed the demise of big-box behemoth, Borders. The economy remained cautious, and unemployment numbers didn't fall nearly as fast as everyone had hoped they would. Yet in this unstable world, one Chicago resident saw opportunity. After plenty of research, many hours spent doing physical labor, and some help from the book-loving community via Kickstarter, Tanner McSwain opened Uncharted Books to the public at January 14th.

Uncharted Books logo.

Logan Square's very own used book store happily occupies the 1,300 square foot storefront at 2630 N Milwaukee Ave, just steps from the Logan Square blue line stop. Pulled straight from the Kickstarter page, where a total of $12,532 was raised to help offset opening costs, McSwain explains his concept for the store:

"We're an independent used bookstore specializing in literature, vintage classics, queer and gender studies, and local interests. We host open salons for writers, storytellers, artists, and students. We encourage browsing, loitering, chit-chatting, socializing, drinking, eating, writing, working, hanging out, and staying in. We want to be your bookstore – Logan Square’s, the north side’s, and Chicago’s."

Between labor hours from contractor friends, volunteers assisting in alphabetizing and shelving books, the final clean up event, and a preview event for Kickstarter supporters, Uncharted Books was a physical community hub before even opening their doors to the public. Additionally, McSwain is constantly fostering an digital community through social media outlets including Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr; No comment, tweet, ask or email goes unanswered.

Interested in being part of the community? Stop by Uncharted Books! Hours of operations are as follows:

• Monday: Closed
• Tuesday-Friday: 12pm – 8pm
• Saturday-Sunday : 11am – 9pm

--Justine Rowland
www.linkedin.com/in/justinerowland