Six motor vehicle thefts were reported in the area between about midnight Thursday, Sept. 10, and about 7:10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, according to 16th (Jefferson Park) District police. The read story
Jefferson Park bookstore introduces mobile option, bringing the brick & mortar business to events, other communities
by BRIAN NADIG
Plot Twist Used Books, 5938 W. Lawrence Ave., in Jefferson Park is expanding, but not with a second brick and mortar location.
Its new “storefront” — metaphorically speaking — is on wheels and it’s been getting a warm reception.
“I believe it’s the only licensed bookmobile in the city,” Plot Twist owner Penny Holland said. “It’s just to get a little more brand recognition.”
The 21-foot long bookmobile recently paid a visit the Portage Park Farmers Market. “It had a line waiting to get in,” Holland said, adding that the bookmobile can accommodate up to about seven or eight customers at a time.
The bookmobile is scheduled to be at additional Portage markets, including those on Sunday, June 21 and July 19.
About 300 books along with some tote bags and other items are stored on the bookmobile, which features shelves for the books to be displayed. It includes a wide range of used books, including fiction, non-fiction, mystery and children’s, Holland said.
Requests are coming in for the bookmobile to be at block parties and other community events, but Holland said that she is planning to attend only one or two events a week because she also needs to time to run her storefront location, which opened in 2024.
Things have been busy at store, especially with book clubs and special events, according to Holland. The store is open Wednesdays through Sundays.
Holland acquired the bus in March from a woman in Ohio who had been using it for a mobile business specializing in gift wrapping and the selling of various gift items.
The interior under went renovations and artist Shawn Smith, known for “Shawnimals,” painted a mural on the outside of the bus, which Holland described as the size of a “mini-PACE bus.”
Under the city license, the bookmobile can be open for business on a city street as long as it’s legally parked, Holland said, adding that the mobile merchant license is considered an extension of the retail license issued for the storefront.
While there are a lot of licensed food trucks in Chicago, mobile retail licenses are not common, and the licensing process for the bookmobile was a learning experience for her and the city’s licensing division, she said.
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